Scars and Stitches
by pusa.is.me
Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.
1. Neji

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter One**_

**Neji**

"Arranged marriage?"

Her laughter was like a waterfall—ticklish, almost taunting him with its melody. He found himself being bothered for a reason he could not define. That she, a kunoichi from an unknown clan, would laugh at his clan's customs, was an insult he felt he should not let go of lightly. Still, he realized she did not mean to be rude; it was simply in her nature to be vocal about her thoughts, uncaring if others find them offensive. He guessed it came with growing up without a generation of noblemen watching her every move; she had all the freedom to act the way she wanted, without thinking of repercussions that would affect not only her but her whole family.

He envied her for that.

"You guys seriously still do that?" she continued, chuckling, as she rubbed a blade of grass between her left index finger and thumb. "The Hyuugas are an old fashioned bunch, aren't they?"

He scoffed; what did she know about the Hyuuga's traditions? They were one of the most prestigious clans in Konoha, no, in Fire Country, so it was only natural that their means and ways were different from the other, more common, families in their village.

"Well," it was obvious that she was not finished, "Who's the lucky girl?"

She gave him another reason to frown. Now he wasn't sure if she was taunting him. One downside of arranged marriages is that the people involved have little to no opinion as to who they would be paired up with. In his case, the "lucky girl" was a distant relative, not even seventeen years old, who chose the path of being a dainty, pretty lady than that of a shinobi.

"Ah," she murmured, flicking the blade of grass away, almost carelessly. "You barely know her, do you?"

"It doesn't matter," he answered quietly. "It is my duty." Somewhere to their left, a pair of pigeons took off from a tree branch, their feathers fluttering as they took flight.

He saw her shrug. "Right," she finished, standing and dusting off her pants. "I feel sorry for you."

There it was. What he suspected she would feel when he told her about the engagement, the reason it took him so long before he told anyone outside of the clan about it. He had hoped she would prove him wrong, that years of friendship and teamwork would make her more understanding, less judgmental, about his situation. In the end, she proved that she and he were different, that no matter how long they've been together, she could never truly empathize with him.

It disappointed him more than he thought it would.

"Marrying someone you don't love," he heard her whisper, so sadly he thought her heart was broken, "no one should have to go through that."

And when he looked up to her in surprise, she turned to him, offered him the widest smile she could muster, and said, "You deserve so much better than that, Neji." Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "I can't say I know how you feel, because I don't, but I'm still sorry."

A pause. He opened his mouth to respond, but she beat him to it. "Do you think Lee and I can kidnap you or something, so you won't have to be forced to do something you don't want to do?"

He shot her with his most exasperated glare, but he was really trying his very best not to smile. "Tenten."

She chuckled. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" And then, extending her arm to him, "The offer still stands though, if you change your mind." She finished with a wink, and he fought the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he took her hand and pulled himself up.

"Thank you." He found himself smiling for the first time since he was informed of the clan's decision.

She raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

He shrugged, turning to watch the field of grass dance before their eyes. "For listening."

She laughed, and it was beautiful. "Well, it's definitely better than listening to Lee whine about his unfortunate unrequited love for Sakura." And then, her voice growing soft once again, "I wish he'd just stop, you know."

And he turned to her, and saw that she was _sad. _"You're affected by it?"

Surprised, she suddenly looked up, and, pulling her hand away from him, waved it between them. He found that he missed her warmth. "N-no!" she said, too quickly. "I'm just, uh, worried, about him, that's all."

It was then that he realized it.

"You're in love with Lee."

Breath hitched, she blushed tomato red. "Neji!" she hissed. "You cannot tell him that!" And then, quietly, "I don't want him to feel awkward. He sees me as her sister, you know."

"He does," he answered, just as quietly, and realized that she treated him the same way Lee treated her. Still, "There's hope, you know. At least he's not engaged to her."

She blinked at him, and he suddenly wished he hadn't said anything. "Huh," she whispered, suddenly thoughtful. "You're right." And then, shaking her head, she smiled at him once again. "Can we just forget I ever said anything about _that_?" Chuckling, she rubbed the back of her head. "We have more important things to take care of," she continued, "like helping you with your wedding preparations."

He frowned. "What?"

She smiled conspiratorially. "Come on," she whispered, reaching for his hand again. "It will be like training. If you can't back out of the engagement, the least we could do to help is to make it as painless for you as possible."

He wondered why she was being so touchy all of a sudden. Not that he minded; she was one of the few kunoichi—no, scratch that, probably the only kunoichi—he was comfortable being in physical contact with.

"I doubt letting Lee and Gai help in the preparations would make it painless, especially for me," he muttered, trying to make light of the situation.

She laughed. "True, but better they help from the start, than have them crash during your ceremony, screaming something about how unyouthful you've been for keeping them in the dark."

He grimaced. Maybe she did have a point.

"We still need to ask the permission of the clan," he murmured, not pulling his hand away from her. Call it a childish impulse, but he had been a child for far too short a time, and in a couple of months, he would say goodbye to the concept altogether. Surely not even Fate would be so cruel as to deny him even this much.

She chuckled, squeezing his hand lightly. "I'm sure you'll find a way around it."

"I'll try," he replied, subconsciously running his thumb across her palm.

"Good." She finished their conversation by pulling her hand out of his grasp. "Come on," she grinned as she started to walk away from him. "I can't wait to see Gai's and Lee's reaction when you tell them the big news."

Now _that _was something he most certainly wished he didn't have to go through.

_**End of Chapter One**_

* * *

**For the record, I blame aloetea for the creation of this story, waaaaay back when we were still discussing _Talk on Corners. _She unintentionally (or maybe it was intentional) introduced me to the possibility of a TentenxLee, and although I know it existed in fanfiction (and maybe canon too), it was only when we were talking about it that I actually thought of a concrete scenario for a possible story.**

**So yes, blame her. /points accusing finger at aloetea**

**Chapter Two is already written but needs heavy editing, and I'm in the middle of writing Chapter Three. I'd like to say this will end as NejiTen, but LeeTen is a tempting prospect as well. So I don't have a final pairing as of the moment, and the ending will ultimately depend on how the story writes itself (because, really, my stories sometimes literally have minds of their own).**

**I hope you enjoy this first installment though, and I must say, I'm really excited how this series comes out.**

**Reviews will be lovely, flames will be used to roast marshmallows, and trolls will be _roasted_ with the marshmallows.**


	2. Lee

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Two**_

**Lee**

Lee burst into tears when Neji finally told them the wonderful news, but his reasons for it were not all too clear. Perhaps it was from relief at the fact that his eternal rival was not gay, unlike what Kiba had insisted—when Neji was out of earshot, of course—from way back their genin years. Or maybe it was from sadness, because Neji getting married was equated to Neji leaving Team Gai for good. He even suspected, deep in his youthful heart, another reason for his tears, something he couldn't quite remember, but knew was of great importance.

Turning his attention to the other members of his little team, he watched their reactions to the big announcement. Neji, as expected, had his forehead creased, as if he regretted informing them about the affair. Beside him stood the ever-reliable Gai-sensei, showers of rainbows and tears raining down his cheeks. Lee was certain that Gai-sensei, at least, was crying from elation. To see one of his beloved students graduate from his springtime of youth and enter manhood was a dream come true. For sure, he was the proudest of them all, the one most excited, probably more excited than Neji himself.

Lee's eyes shifted to Tenten then, and he was surprised that she looked rather amused at the whole situation. He had expected her to be the most affected by it, since she was the closest to Neji, and should therefore be the most unwilling to let him go. But the kunoichi looked every inch unsurprised at the announcement, as if she had been privy to the information before Neji even told him and Gai about it. Lee guessed Neji must have told Tenten prior, and she was there mostly to chuckle at their reactions.

The little something Lee thought he forgot suddenly rushed back, full force, and his tears stopped as he shot Tenten a most worried stare. So intense was the look he gave her that the kunoichi, when she finally noticed, blushed beet red, and to his right, Lee saw Neji frowning a little, and he suspected that the reason was not from the overexaggerated response to his announcement anymore.

"W-what's wrong, Lee?" Tenten asked, flustered. Even Gai stopped with the teary showers then, though the rainbow remained.

"Tenten, I need to talk to you about something," the Green Beast suddenly said, "In private, if possible."

"Ehh?"

"It's very important," he said, voice filled with conviction. He would hold her hands if he could, drag her away, except that Neji was glaring at him in a way that said _don't you dare_, probably because he didn't want to be left alone with an emotional Gai-sensei. Why his eternal rival could not appreciate their youthful pseudo-father's enthusiasm, Lee could not quite comprehend.

"W-well," Tenten answered, her voice pitching up a notch, "Can it wait? We're still in the middle of humi—I mean, congratulating Neji for his impending doo—err, marriage."

Lee wanted to say that _no, it cannot wait, this is a matter of preserving Neji's blossoming youth and saving it for the right person_, but he held his tongue, because Neji was currently glaring at him in a way that promised a very youthful beating the next time they sparred.

* * *

Hours later, Lee found himself walking Tenten home, the kunoichi uncharacteristically quiet. Not that he minded; it gave him the opportunity to organize his thoughts, before he started his little talk with his flower of a friend.

Truth be told, he wasn't sure when he started noticing it. Or rather, them. Or, to be more specific about it, the fact that Tenten was watching Neji, while said shinobi seemed completely oblivious to it.

Not that he was surprised. Tenten was supposed to be the most perceptive among them three, after all. He was too naïve, too innocent for his own good—or, at least, that was what Tenten usually said when she scolded him—bordering to frustrating ignorant. He did not mean to be like that; he just viewed the world differently than the rest of them. Wasn't it more fun to see the world for its beauty, rather than the pain it brought? Neji, on the other hand, was too indifferent, too self-absorbed with his fate, with the cage he tried so hard to break free from, and he simply did not care much for others. It was Tenten who acted like glue to their little team, the voice of reason when he and Neji would clash over the minutest things that was not really worth arguing about.

It worried him then, that Tenten seemed completely fine with the idea of Neji getting married to someone else. He had always this suspicion that their team's precious flower regarded Neji not only as a teammate and friend, but something more of the romantic sort, something like what he felt for the lovely Sakura-san, perhaps, or even more. Because no matter how pure his feelings were for the pink-haired kunoichi, Lee knew he and Sakura lacked the bond that Tenten and Neji had shared over the years.

For a while, Lee waited for Neji to notice. For Tenten to make her move. But neither did.

And now, with Neji's grand announcement, Lee felt that everything was falling apart right before his very eyes.

And he wasn't going to allow Tenten and Neji to not get the youthful, happy ending they deserved with each other. Because nothing, not even ten thousand pushups and a million laps around the village, could make him feel better if his two best friends did not end up together.

Finally mustering his courage, he said, tentatively, "Tenten?"

The kunoichi whispered a small "Hm?" but did not bother turning to him, choosing to keep her eyes on the road instead.

"Are you . . . all right?"

This time, Tenten gave him a sideway glance. "Eh?" Lee could see confusion written all over her face, and he decided to push a little further with his inquiry.

"You know, about Neji getting married?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

He expected her to be in denial about it, or at least show the slightest hint of hurt, but Tenten just appeared to be _confused._

"Oh. It's just that I thought . . ." Was he wrong in his assumptions? Did Tenten not care for Neji like he thought she did?

"You thought what?" There was a hint of annoyance in her voice, but Lee had known Tenten long enough to be sure that she would not act irrationally because of it.

Lee decided then it was about the right time to pop the big question.

"Don't you love him?"

Tenten stopped in mid-stride, forcing him to stop along with her. Chocolate orbs blinked back in suspicion, and before Lee could even try to rephrase his question, the kunoichi answered, "Neji? Of course I do. He's my best friend."

And as much as Lee wanted to think that Tenten was merely trying to worm her way out an awkward conversation, he couldn't help but think that, maybe, he did get everything wrong.

But he had to be sure. For the sake of his friends, for the sake of his family, for the sake of youth.

"No, I meant . . . aren't you in love with him?"

Complete silence for a couple of seconds, and he felt it stretch to hours. And then there it was—absolute fury in his friend's eyes, but he wasn't sure what it was for.

"What?" she hissed.

"Aren't you?" he tried again, because he was Rock Lee, and his motto in life was to try harder and harder until he succeeded in something—whether it was five hundred laps around Konoha, or making his best friend admit to herself that she was in love with their other best friend. "I just thought, being with him after all those years, surely your youthful heart beats for him alone?"

"You think I'm in love with _Neji?_" she spat, fingers closing into fists.

And it was that instant, the second Tenten closed her eyes, that Lee realized how wrong he had been. Because when his friend opened her eyes once again, there was such anger in them that he literally had to step back from fear of being mangled then and there in the middle of the street.

"I hate you, Lee."

Lee could hear her choke on her words, but he was too shocked to react properly. Never in their years of being friends had Tenten said anything as harsh to him as that. Sure, she reprimanded him every so often for being overly energetic and downright annoying, but not once had she vehemently told him that she loathed him.

"W-what?" he managed to squeak, after he recovered from his shock.

But Tenten had already disappeared in a puff of smoke, and but not before giving him the most youthful of punches in the right eye.

_**End of Chapter Two**_

* * *

**I'm off to a five-day vacation (more or less) and I thought, might as well leave the next chapter before I disappear from cyberspace.**

**I realize that the storyline of Neji in an arranged marriage is quite the cliché and perhaps just a tad bit overused, but most of the stories I've read that carry that theme have Tenten pining over him and getting her heart broken in the process, and, in all honesty, I can't really bring myself to write something like that. So this is my little twist in one of the most popular NejiTen archetypes in the history of fanfiction. **

**Now, as to how the heck I'm going to pull it off, I'm not really sure yet, but I'm getting there, don't worry. I do have a few chapters written in my head already, and I just need to, well, write them down on paper. (If Tenten ends up pining over him and getting her heart broken in the process, feel free to bitchslap me until I rewrite the chapters altogether.)**

**But the reactions I got for the prospect of LeeTen! I, too, see them as siblings (can't really imagine anyone ending up with Lee, no matter how much I love him), but for the sake of writing something that will challenge me as a writer, I shall endeavor to write something as believable a plot as I can. **

**Anyway, thank you so much for the, uh, interesting reviews I got. I get the feeling this story will be a tad controversial, in comparison to my earlier works, that is. Whether that's a good or bad thing, only time will tell. Yosh. **

**A roll call of reviewers, if I may: ****anthropomorphichybrid****, Mann, Sepsis, ****dreamheld affinity****, KNO, DenDen, Chicharito, ****UlquiorraNoKokoro****, Denzel, ****UlquiorraNoKokoro**** and ****Midnight Insomniac****.**

**Reviews will be lovely, flames will be used to roast marshmallows, and trolls will be _roasted _with the marshmallows.**


	3. Tenten

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Three**_

**Tenten**

She wanted to murder him.

Throwing another kunai at a target board, suspiciously shaped like a certain spandex-loving taijutsu master, Tenten hissed and inwardly cursed the absurdity of her situation.

She had long accepted the fact that Lee would not see her the way he saw Sakura, and she was okay with that, really, so long as they remained friends, and that their team dynamics was not affected by something as silly as her falling in love with one of her best friends.

But to think he'd even suggest that she was in love with Neji! _Neji_! Was he completely oblivious to the fact that she gave him special attention that their Hyuuga friend never received? Had he been so blinded for his affection for the pink-haired kunoichi that he never really, _really_ looked at her?

She wanted to throw a hundred different kunais at his eyebrows so that they'd stop covering his impossibly round, blind eyes.

"Lee, you _baka_!" she growled as she threw another senbon against the wornout board. She decided to blow off steam in their usual training grounds, because unlike other normal girls who binge on ice cream and chocolate when they got their heart broken, Tenten found it was better to release her pent up anger honing her skills to perfection.

Oh he was going to get it, that he will. Just he wait until their next sparring session; she was going to skewer him to bits until his stupid green spandex were filled with holes of different shapes and sizes. Maybe then her anger would abate, and she could try to act normal around him again, because at that very moment, she'd rather be assigned to an S-rank mission in the Country of Rain than spend an afternoon with Lee.

* * *

Tenten was pleased that the Hyuugas allowed them to help out with Neji's wedding preparations. She suspected it took a lot of convincing on Neji's part, with maybe a little help from Hinata as well, but at least she had something to get her mind off the fact that she wanted to strangle the guy she was in love with.

She was _not_ pleased, though, with the fact that they assigned her to handle the decorations of the venue. What did she know about things like that? When she volunteered to help out, she was thinking somewhere along the lines of helping out with logistics, transporting stuff to and fro, and generally keeping her teammates in line to make sure they don't overdo it. To be given a big responsibility such as making the venue beautiful was supposed to be flattering, but she couldn't help but think that Ino would have been better suited for the job.

"Gah!" she muttered out loud as she tossed the pieces of cloth that the overall wedding coordinator had handed to her half an hour past. Like she could tell the difference between satin, silk and linen. She wasn't trained for things like these! Give her five different types of kunai, and she could tell what material each one was made of.

"What's the matter?"

Neji's baritone voice broke through her internal ranting, and finding an outlet to vent out her frustrations, she swiveled to face him and gave him the sourest face she could muster.

"_What's the matter_?" she spat. "They want me to decide which flowers go well with silk curtains! I don't even know which of these _things_," she picked up one of the pieces she threw earlier and waved it in front of Neji's face, "is silk!"

Neji raised an eyebrow, bent down to pick another piece, and quietly handed it to her. "This one's silk." Taking the cloth Tenten was holding, he continued, "This is satin."

"Seriously?" she hissed, exasperated. Why in the world was Neji more learned about cloth than her?

Neji shrugged and gave her a small smile. "Come on," he said, holding her hand and tugging her toward the doorway.

"Where the hell do you think you're taking me?"

"To get fresh air," the Hyuuga answered. "Or, more correctly, to stop you from shredding Mito-sama's favorite curtains into strips."

Kunoichi and shinobi exited the building, hand in hand, and Tenten couldn't help but notice several Hyuugas glancing their way. Suddenly nervous, she tried to tug her hand away from her friend, but found Neji's grip on her hand tight. "Neji," she whispered, looking around. "Neji, your relatives are _glaring _at me."

"Let them," Neji replied.

"I think they suspect me of trying to seduce you so you won't have to push through with your wedding."

"Are you trying to seduce me?"

The kunoichi snorted in response.

"Then stop worrying and walk."

Tenten huffed, but allowed Neji to keep his hand locked with hers. She didn't mind his proximity, not really, not after countless years of being forced to sleep beside him, sometimes literally on top of him, during missions. Certainly they're way past embarrassment at simple holding hands by now. Still, she couldn't help but think that she had never really experienced that with Lee. Too often their physical contact was limited to her strangling him, or brief, fleeting clashes during their spars. Always it was Neji who'd carry her back to the village whenever she was too injured to move because of a mission, although many a times Lee or Gai offered to do the deed.

Suddenly, "You're sad."

She blinked. "Huh?"

"You're sad. I can feel it."

Tenten fought the urge to smile. "Tch. You know me too much."

They stopped in front of a dimsum shop, and Neji tugged at her hand before going inside. They were greeted by their usual waitress, them being regular customers because of Tenten's love for sesame dumplings, and within seconds they were ushered to their favorite corner booth, away from prying eyes.

"Well?" Neji asked, after placing their usual order of sesame dumplings and jasmine tea.

"Well what?" She knew Neji was not going to let go of the issue, but that didn't stop her from delaying the inevitable for as long as she could.

If Neji had clued in her lame attempt to delay, he gave no indication whatsoever. "You're upset."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "No shit, genius."

"So why are you upset?" So much for delaying tactics.

Tenten realized not for the first time how her teammates had no skill in subtlety. Not that she was very good at it either. Perhaps that was why they were able to survive each other for so long? They were honest, too honest, with each other, so much that a touchy subject becomes less intimidating when they were discussing it among themselves.

Then, "I realize now he will never see me the way he sees Sakura."

She watched as Neji nodded, quickly understanding what was wrong. She loved that part of him, being able to understand her little quirks, without her having to give lengthy explanations for such and such. With Lee, she usually had to explain something a couple of times before the taijutsu expert gets it, and then explain it again a couple more times because Lee would then ask about the first explanation.

"For the record, I blame you for my broken heart."

She had expected, wanted, Neji to be indignant about her accusation, just so she'd have a reason to bitch at him and maybe feel a little less angry afterward, but she did not expect the Hyuuga prodigy to say what he said next.

"I'm sorry, then."

Tenten blinked. "Huh?"

"I'm sorry. For your broken heart."

"Ah." Seriously, what in the world was going on with her best friends?

"I think Lee is stupid." He wasn't finished, apparently.

This made Tenten blink again. "What?" she whispered, so softly because any louder and she would choke on unshed tears.

And Neji gave her one of his rare smiles—not the usual smirk, or condescending grin, but one of his you-know-I-care-about-you-right? smiles. And he suddenly reached out and held her hand again, and she wanted to pull away, because this was Neji and Neji was not touchy and she'd rather have Lee there holding her, but it felt so nice, having someone, anyone, care for her like that, so she squeezed his hand in return and tried to offer a smile back at him, but at that very moment a shinobi clad in sparkling green spandex suddenly walked in the shop, and she pulled her hand away from Neji for real.

_**End of Chapter Three**_

* * *

**Wait! Before you all go Nazi on me for taking a long time to update, I just want to say that, uh, real life got in the way, and for the past month I'd been busy editing a statistics book (don't ask) and writing a script for a play we're producing this September. So add that to my usual hours in the office and my lame attempt to get a decent social life, yeah, something has to give, eventually. **

**But I'm back (at least for this chapter), and I hope this makes up for the long delay. I promise to try my best to update as soon as I can, because I really love this story and the concept I have behind it, and I will not rest until I finish this (among other things, that is).**

**/coughs**

**So, anyway, anyone still around to leave a review? Loved the last batch of reviews I got; I just hope I got to respond to everyone. If I haven't replied to you, please forgive me. That's unintentional, I tend to get really busy on some days. But thank you to everyone who dropped a line or favorite this story.**

**Reviews will be lovely, flames will be used to roast marshmallows, and trolls will be _roasted, _not with the marshmallows (not after the violent reactions I got), but by themselves. Like chestnuts on an open fire.**


	4. Lee 2

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Four**_

**Lee**

Lee wasn't sure if he was going to cartwheel for joy or jump his eternal rival and pummel him to the ground. Because he had caught him holding their precious flower's hand, even when he was promised to wed someone else. And although Lee wanted nothing more than for his two best friends to end up together, he was by no means an advocate of infidelity, inside the marriage or not.

It was very unyouthful, to say the least, and Gai-sensei would not be pleased.

It didn't help matters that he confirmed two nights ago that Tenten did not love Neji the way Lee hoped she did. He had been wrong over a lot of things, but he didn't expect to be incorrect in his assumption that Tenten felt for Neji the way he himself felt for Sakura, or even more.

But he was, and he still had the black eye to remind him of it.

For once stopping himself from acting in any manner that might get him kicked out of the dimsum shop (the last time, Neji had to throw him out when he tried to steal Gai-sensei's cup and sip some of his sake), Lee marched toward his two teammates as calmly as he could, fists clenched on either side, and regarded them with searching eyes.

"My youthful teammates," he started, and then faltered when he saw Tenten look the other way. She had not spoken to him since their little scuffle two nights ago, and Lee wanted nothing more than make up with her. They had argued a lot of times before, but it was always because of petty things (mostly him spouting flowery words about her youth, and her throwing a barrage of kunais at him in response), and by the end of the day, they'd go their separate ways, sometimes irritated with each other, sometimes bruised and beaten up (though that mostly applied to him), but still friends.

Because Tenten normally didn't hold grudges, and seeing her not paying attention to him, still angry, made him sad for some reason he could not explain.

Still, he has more important things to take care of. "I have missed you during training today," he tried to sound cheerful, but Neji merely glared, and Tenten would not even look at him. He continued though, because his motto was to persevere in everything he did, and he tried to sit beside Tenten, only to see her tense up, and Neji's glare increase tenfolds.

Only then did he realize that missed her more than he thought he should, and it unnerved him a great deal.

"Are you still angry with me, Tenten?"

The kunoichi turned to him, startled. Taking her reaction as a positive sign, Lee went ahead and sat beside her, taking her hand and squeezing it tightly but affectionately. "I'm sorry for misunderstanding you and your feelings," he said, right thumb pointing at his chest. "As punishment, I promise to walk around the village fifty times, using nothing but my index fingers."

"That's impossible, _baka,_" Tenten rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away, but Lee could see that she had forgiven him, hear it in the tone of her voice, miffed but not mean, annoyed but understanding. Her face sported a bright shade of pink though, something he very rarely saw, but maybe it was because the weather was hot and humid since yesterday.

"Nothing is impossible with hard work and determination," he replied, smiling his winning grin and giving his kunoichi friend a thumbs-up. Something dark and heavy lifted in his heart, and he was happy that he and his best friend were in, if not good, at least civil, terms again.

"Dumbass," Tenten whispered, but she was smiling again, if not exasperatedly, and that has got to amount to something, right?

Lee would have said something about Tenten's blossoming youth, but his peripheral vision caught Neji, and all thoughts about youth and friendship and love suddenly dissipated, scorched by the Hyuuga's deadly glare.

* * *

He knew Neji didn't want to talk to him, and any other day, he would let it go and let the Hyuuga's bad mood pass before he tried striking up a conversation once again.

But it wasn't any other day, and Lee was determined to set the record straight, to make sure there was nothing going on between Neji and Tenten, at least not until the byakugan user broke off his engagement, in which he could court Tenten to his heart's content.

Because if there was one thing he realized during their impromptu team bonding that afternoon, it was that he got everything _wrong_.

Tenten was _not_ in love with Neji.

"Neji," he started, even when the prodigy turned a deaf ear, pretending that Lee was not there. "Neji," the taijutsu expert tried again, quickening his steps so that he could match Neji's pace. "We need to talk."

"Go away, Lee," came Neji's irate response. "I need to go back to the compound immediately."

"It's about Tenten."

The Hyuuga stopped walking, and his glare was back full force. "What is it?"

And because Lee was never one for subtlety, he asked, too bluntly, "Are you in love with her?"

Neji's answer was calm and composed, and Lee was not surprised, really.

"No."

Lee nodded, as if his suspicions were confirmed. "But you feel something for her."

If there was hesitation in Neji's eyes, Lee did not see it. Neji's slight shift in posture, however, told him otherwise.

"It matters not."

Neji said it so quietly Lee had to strain his ears just to catch his words. Still, it was the only affirmation he needed to continue.

"You shouldn't give her up," Lee said with as much conviction as he could muster. He would offer his eternal rival a thumbs up, but he had the nagging suspicion that Neji would gentle fist him for his efforts. Instead, he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and said, "You and Tenten are perfect for each other. Our youthful flower does not know it yet, so you must do everything to make her see." Encouraged by Neji's apparent quiet, he finished, "Even if it means defying fate one more time," ending it with a nice guy pose.

He was thankful that Neji let his teeth _ping _perfectly before he jyukkened him two blocks away.

_**End of Chapter Four**_

* * *

**Here you go, the latest installment XD**

**(Lee is so adorably clueless I want to smack him. HARD.)**

**Again, apologies for the slow updates, but I'm trying my best to squeeze in some quality writing time for this and my other stories. Rest assured that I will finish them all, no matter how long it takes, because I never liked leaving things half-done. So patience, dearests, and we'll get there, eventually.**

**Thank you so much for the wonderful, wonderful reviews. Seriously, every time I see a new message in my inbox, I always find this inexplicable need to SQUEAL. So a big shoutout to hihimakino, Sepsis, Metoochocolate, Denti, Midnight Insomniac, PeaceGirlForever, anthropomorphichybrid, aloe tea, purpleblu, Fleeting Fetish, Fearless Rider, Kratos Wilder, lildaemon, prima-dana and honeybeeze for the kind words and encouragement. I hope I didn't miss anyone!  
**

******Reviews will be lovely, flames will be used to roast marshmallows, and trolls will be _roasted, _not with the marshmallows, but by themselves. Like chestnuts on an open fire.**


	5. Neji 2

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Five**_

**Neji**

"Remind me again why I need to be here?"

He ignored the dry humor in her voice from the other side of the curtain, and focused on fixing his tie in front of the large mirror the dressing room provided. It was gray, with the lightest touch of lavender, designed to match the hue of his eyes. It complemented his coat—coal black and elegant in every way.

"Don't you have any guy friends who can help you choose your attire for the big day?" she continued to complain from the other side of the room, but he paid her no heed. Like hell he was going to ask Lee or Naruto for advice regarding his clothes. One wore a green spandex, and the other wore an orange-and-blue jumpsuit.

Smoothing out the creases of his long sleeves, he checked himself in the mirror one last time before stepping out of the dressing room.

He got an appreciative whistle for his efforts.

"Someone looks absolutely dashing today," she grinned, hopping down her stool (she was standing on it with one foot, the other behind her back, balancing a kunai) and meeting him halfway across the room. They stopped three feet from each other, and he felt the slightest bit of discomfort as the kunoichi circled him, as if examining every inch of his suit, the most minute stitch and fold of the hem.

"Well now," the weapons expert beamed as she stopped in front of him once again. "I have to say, you're the most handsome groom-to-be I've ever seen." Then, as an afterthought, "Not that I've seen a lot of them, but you get what I mean."

He offered a lopsided grin, and she chuckled. "You're grinning! Who are you? What did you do to my Neji?"

And there was something about the way she phrased her words, the manner she said "my Neji," that ruffled his insides, like someone tickled his gut with a feather, or a mewling kitten, perhaps. His grin morphed into a more somber smile before he could stop himself, and the ever-observant kunoichi noticed.

"My, my, you're in a good mood today, Hyuuga," she dimpled, then raised an eyebrow for effect. "Although do remind me, why are you in a coat-and-tie? I thought you're supposed to wear the official Hyuuga robes during the wedding? Is your pretty fiancée less conservative than I thought?"

At the mention of his wife-to-be, his mood suddenly plummeted. The smile disappeared from his face, and he stepped away from his beaming friend before replying. "This is for the engagement party. We need not wear our clan's traditional attire for it."

"Aww," he heard her mock-pout from behind. "The old Neji is back. So quickly too! And here I was, enjoying the fake Neji's company a lot." And she was in front of him again, fixing his tie when he was certain that there was nothing to fix, and he fought the urge to push her away. "I think you look absolutely beautiful," she winked. "Your fiancée, what's her name again? She's very lucky to marry you."

Fortunately, he had long ago mastered the art of concealing his emotions, because he was feeling all sorts of funny inside because of their current proximity. "Yumi," he answered stiffly, knowing she would wave it off as indifference, even exasperation at her apparent childishness.

"Yumi, huh?" she repeated, stepping away from him and studying him carefully, left hand cupping her chin. "Neji and Yumi Hyuuga. It does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Never in his whole life had he wanted to sock her more than he did now. He knew they were nothing of the romantic sort—she was in love with Lee, and he was most definitely _not _in love with her (no matter what Lee says, and besides, he had his duty to his clan, and he will see to it that he fulfills it come what may)—but was it possible for her _not _to shove it to his face every five seconds that he was going to marry someone he didn't love?

"Why oh why did I not fall in love with you instead?"

He blinked. It was one thing to hear her talk so casually about his upcoming union with Yumi, or tearfully tell him about her broken heart courtesy of Lee, but he wasn't expecting her to actually ask the question that had crossed his mind every so often ever since she admitted her feelings for their bushy-browed friend.

"I mean, if you think about it, you're leagues above that _idiot_," and she emphasized the word so much he suspected she hadn't really forgiven Lee yet, "and any girl would die just to have you as her husband." She paused thoughtfully, brown eyes locking his gray orbs, and for once he was conscious of her attention. "Sure, you still have that pole stuck up your ass," she chuckled at his attempt to protest, "but it's not as high up there as it used to be, so you're actually bearable to be with now."

He realized that he had no answer to her question, but he suspected she didn't need, _want_, one anyway.

Sighing, she walked away from him and flopped down the couch. "I wish I had fallen in love you instead," she whispered, and something in his chest stirred, and he wasn't sure if it was the crack of a broken heart, or the spark of hope, that someone could actually love him for who he was.

"But that wouldn't do," she said suddenly, and the look on her face when she looked up almost left him breathless. "Because you're getting married, and that means I'll get my heart broken . . . just like it is with Lee now."

She chuckled. "You two suck," and laughed at her lame attempt to joke.

He approached her, almost hesitant, and sat beside her, wishing he could hold her hand once more. But he had overstepped his bounds too many times to count already, and that wouldn't do, because he was getting married soon, and she was in love with someone else, and they were best friends for far too long.

Their shoulders brushed, and he panicked when she leaned against him, her head resting comfortably in the crook of his neck. He wondered if it was possible to be this happy and miserable at the same time.

Then, "Hey Neji, had I fallen in love with you instead and you found out, would you still push through with your wedding?"

The question unnerved him so much that he couldn't come up with a proper reply until it was too late.

"Of course you will," she answered for him, barely a whisper, and there was a bitterness in her voice that she quickly quelled with a chuckle. "You're not in love with me either."

And only then did Neji realize that he _was_, after all.

* * *

**SPOILER ALERT**

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**Neji died, and I all but lost my motivation to continue with this series. That, and I am seriously considering flying to Japan to hunt Kishimoto down. DAMN YOU KISHI. But then I read ****anthropomorphichybrid****'s new story, and hope was rekindled in my heart. So thank you, morphy. I needed that. Yes, I will finish this story, as my way of giving life back to Neji, and by extension, Team Gai.**

**Neji fans, let us all hold hands, knowing we will get through this, together. **

**Thank you so much to my reviewers from the last chapter. ****Sepsis****, ****Fearless Rider****, Tea, ****Kratos Wilder****, ****FruitySmell****, ****anthropomorphichybrid****, ****penelos****, ****CharmlessUnicorn**** and Jasmine. I hope I didn't forget anyone.**

**Reviews will be lovely, flames will be used to roast marshmallows, and trolls will be ****_roasted, _****not with the marshmallows, but with Kishimoto. Burn, Kishi, burn.**


	6. Gai

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Six**_

**Gai**

Maito Gai was no fool.

Of course, most of Konoha would beg to disagree, and Gai did not begrudge them their opinion of him. He was, in fact, mighty proud of his achievement, because his infamy assured him that people will remember him wherever he went, and by extension, remember his beloved students as well.

He may be a lot of things, but Gai truly, wholeheartedly wanted the best for his "children."

(Two of said children would've glared and jyukkened, cringed and impaled him with a variety of weapons, had they heard him calling them as such. At least Lee would cry fountains of rainbows and heart-shaped blossoms at his term of endearment. Indeed, he was the most youthful of them all.)

And because he loved his children to the deepest, darkest corner of his still-youthful heart, he was well attuned to their aura, their little quirks and mood swings. He knew that the slightest crinkle near Neji's left-corner lip meant the Hyuuga genius was trying his best not to laugh at Lee's antics, that a too-wide-grin from Tenten was scarier than a frown, and that Lee had the purest heart of them all, but not the right amount of subtlety to do him any good (exhibit A: Haruno Sakura).

And so Gai found himself one day staring at his students as they did a three-way spar (he demanded it of them to train at least once a week, because no matter how much Lee's youthful antics exasperated Neji and Tenten both, they all know need to keep their youthful bonds of friendship strong for missions great and small) and wondering why there was so much unwanted tension in the air between them.

Tenten was throwing hatchets and kunais in all the wrong angles at anywhere but Lee, and Lee wouldn't kick Neji as hard as he usually would, youth be damned!, and Neji—Gai noted, interested—almost always covered Tenten from Lee's attacks, even when the said kunoichi tried to stick him with pointy senbons (and her favorite katana once) every single time.

If Maito Gai hadn't known any better, he'd say that there was sexual tension between the three, that a love triangle was taking place without them knowing it, and it was intense enough to affect the dynamic of their team—in a bad way.

But Maito Gai was no fool, and he knew that there wasn't any sensuality in the tension sizzling between his three favorite shinobi. That yes, a love triangle was brewing in their midst—he almost cried rainbows and waterfalls at the blossoming of their youth—but none of the participants are schooled enough to understand what it meant, and that excluding Lee's profession of undying love for Haruno Sakura, none of them really understood what real love meant.

(He did, once, a long time ago, but he and the object of his everlasting affection have both moved on, and it was better not to dwell on matters of the past.)

Clapping his hands to indicate that the session is over, he strode toward the tiny group—barely ducking in time to avoid a stray shuriken from Tenten's left hand—and congratulated them for another youthful training well done.

Neji stopped mid-pivot, and Lee sprung backward from Tenten, who quickly snapped her right wrist backward to retrieve the kunai she threw Neji's way. All three stared at their sensei, wondering why he cut the session short, when they've only been at it for two hours and a half nonstop.

Gai chuckled and flashed them a thumbs-up, and matched it with a blinding grin. "My youthful students," he started, and then let his teeth ping for effect, "I am very pleased to announce that you have all blossomed into beautiful creatures worthy of everyone's affection!"

Tenten cringed at the word "beautiful creatures," Neji stopped himself from impaling his sensei with the kunai hidden inside his left pant leg, and Lee's eyes watered in sheer happiness.

"In celebration, we shall run around the village five hundred times before sundown!"

A duet of "Hell no," with a stray "Yosh!" answered him, and before he could convince his Neji and Tenten to share Lee's enthusiasm, said kunoichi grabbed the Hyuuga's hand (Gai noticed how Tenten's gaze hovered over Lee just a second longer than usual, and how Neji tensed just the tiniest bit, so subtly that not even the weapons' wielding female noticed) and dragged him away, muttering something about "stupid green-spandex-obsessed retards" along the way. One half of said stupid green-spandex-obsessed retards turned to the other half, and noticed that Lee was eyeing his teammates with something akin to wariness mixed with uneasy delight, which Gai didn't know he was capable of.

His teeth pinged a second time as his suspicions became all the more not-suspicions-anymore.

"Do not worry about them," he grinned at his youthful student then, giving him a thumbs-up. "They will figure things out at their own pace."

Round eyes filled with worry turned to him, and Lee blubbered, "B-but my eternal rival is getting married in a month! Tenten needs to realize how much Neji loves her _now_, before it's too late!"

Gai patted a fatherly hand on the younger green beast's shoulder, as if to patronize him. "She will figure it out in her own time, Lee." And then, in an almost somber expression, head turning to where the two Team Gai members disappeared to, he continued, "She is the most perceptive one in our little family, after all." A pause. "You need to trust her."

Lee sniffed, but wiped away his tears before they flowed. "Yes," he answered, bringing out his trusty notebook and pen. "I feel as if I've learned something very important today!" and began scribbling down furiously.

Gai smiled proudly at his charge, and then, silently, thought, "And when will you realize how much you mean to her?"

But because Gai was no fool, he kept his mouth shut—about the matter at least—because it was not up to him to tell his student that their precious flower loves him the way their prodigy loves her. They, indeed, need to figure things out in their own time, at their own pace—but that didn't mean he would not subtly help them in any way he could, of course—

—with flames and waterfalls of encouragement and love and nonstop youthful prodding, if needed be.

_**End of Chapter Six**_

* * *

**Because a Team Gai story is not complete without Maito Gai.**

**Ugh. So I'm still not over Neji's untimely demise, and I'm glad that I am not alone in my sentiment. I mean, I'm not _glad _that people are mourning the same way I am, but I'm glad that I am not the only one thinking that Neji dying is a load of bull on Kishi's part. And I'm happy to hear (read) that a lot would like to participate in what will now be officially called The Great Kishi Hunt.**

**Watch out, Kishimoto. Neji's fanbase will come rip you to shreds once we find you.**

**/coughs**

**Anyway, thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. And thank you for the kind words of encouragement and support in this time of mourning. Yes, Hyuuga Neji will forever live in our hearts, and even if Kishi doesn't revive him using Edo Tensei or that jutsu that Pein used (I forgot what it's called), I'll still love him (Neji, not Kishi) to the deepest, darkest corner of my little heart.**

**Special mention to my lovely reviewers Sepsis, chauvu, Ichigo-chan, Sarui, udntned2no, Introverted-Verses, anthropomorphichybrid, Fearless Rider, Chicharito, soul painter, and Lovedisease. You guys rock.**

**Reviews will be lovely, flames will be used to roast marshmallows, and trolls will be spared just this once, since I'm reserving my spit for the great Kishimoto. Ehem.**


	7. Tenten 2

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Seven**_

**Tenten**

Fifty meters away from the "retards," as she carelessly called them, Tenten let go of Neji's hand, swiveled fast to face him, and poke an accusing finger against his shoulder.

"And you!" she said without prelude, as if her speech was a mere continuation of her rant against Gai and Lee. "Why the hell were you blocking all of Lee's attacks directed at me? What, you think I can't take care of myself?"

Oh she was in a bad mood, all right, and she didn't care if Neji took the brunt of it. Hell, she had been extra nice to him for the past weeks, helping out with his wedding preparations and tolerating his relatives that threw dagger stares at her direction, but she was not going to let him patronize her in the one area she was an expert in.

Neji, to his credit, looked uncomfortable at her accusation. He pressed his lips , forming a thin line, and Tenten knew from experience how he was trying his best not to retort something mean and utterly insulting.

It only made Tenten's mood turn for the worst.

"Aha!" she hissed, finger still poking Neji's unassuming shoulder. "You do, don't you! You think I won't be able to handle myself when it came to Lee, just because I have _feelings _for him!" And when Neji gave no snide remark, just flinched a little in response, she hissed some more. "What the hell! I thought you're my friend!"

A long pause, and then, "I am," the Hyuuga finally answered, baritone barely above a whisper.

Tenten, not understanding what he said, wrinkled her nose in irritation. "What are you murmuring there for?" she growled. "Speak up, boy genius, before I skewer you like a shish kabob."

And Neji did something really out of the ordinary—at least it would have been months before, but Tenten has been vaguely aware how, well, clingy his friend was becoming ever since he confessed of his forced engagement—and placed a gentle hand on hers, the one still pressed against him, and held it in his own.

"I am your friend, Tenten," he said, and he said her name almost tenderly, that Tenten blinked and yanked her hand away from him in surprise.

Had she been any other person, she wouldn't have noticed it, but she saw a flash of hurt cross Neji's features, bright as day. Now she was confused. What did it mean? Did she overstep the line? Had she actually managed to insult Neji to the point where he actually _felt _insulted?

"Err," she stammered, not sure where to put her hands. "Sorry," she whispered, not sure if she was apologizing for yelling at him, or for breaking their fleeting physical connection. "I was, uh, I didn't mean to take out my anger on you, uh," and in a desperate attempt to dissipate the tense air between them, "at least I didn't call you a retard, right?"

And when Neji actually smirked, just a little upward curve of the lips, Tenten almost sighed in relief. This Neji she could handle.

"Never mind that," Neji replied, and Tenten noticed him reaching out for her hand again, only to stop in midair, as if catching himself off-guard, and quickly retracting his arm.

She wondered if she had something to do with him being so touchy all of a sudden, more than the usual Neji-touchy that she was used to. Something warm and wonderful settled in her stomach, and her first instinct was to _flee._

But because she was Tenten, and sometimes she acts before she thinks, she grabbed Neji's hand—earning a surprised double-take from her best friend—and linked their fingers together. Because, she realized with utter horror, that she very much enjoyed feeling's Neji's hand pressed against hers.

When Neji actually blinked at her, she faked a shrug. "Hey, you're the one who wanted to hold hands," she mock-teased, flashing him a bright grin. But when Neji squeezed her hand and _smiled, _she became all the more confused.

"Neji," she started, carefully, as quietly as possible, as if testing the waters before going for a long swim, "What are we doing?"

And they looked at each other a long time, until the Byakugan user opened his mouth to reply.

"Tenten, I think I . . ."

"Tenten!"

The kunoichi pulled her hand away from Neji quickly, and turned to the person calling her name.

"What do you want?" she growled when she saw who had interrupted her conversation with Neji, but Lee was jogging toward them with an unreadable expression on his face—which was impossible, really, except that he seemed to have finally mastered the art of poker-face from their otherwise stoic friend.

"Shizune-san dropped by our training grounds just now. She said the Lady Hokage wants to see you in her office for a mission."

Tenten raised an eyebrow. "Only me?" It had been literally years since she was sent to a solo mission. A sense of foreboding wormed its way up her chest.

But Lee wasn't looking at her anymore. He was in a staring contest with Neji, who, Tenten noticed, returned Lee's _glare _with utmost fervor.

* * *

Tenten had long ago gotten over her obsession for the legendary female Sannin, although she still respected her more than she does the average shinobi. She believed that Tsunade was best suited for the role of Hokage, at least until her sensei's "eternal rival" shows the slightest interest of taking on the position—or, heaven forbid, Naruto actually succeeds on getting the coveted role. She knew that although the Sannin had a particular bad habit of bringing sake in her office and drinking during work hours, she could still make decisions that were for the best of the village, and for each individual ninja that served under her command.

Such convictions were currently hanging by a thread, and the weapons mistress wearily wondered if she had been an idiot all this time, vehemently defending Tsunade against gossipers who'd dare mar her name because of her less-than-applaudable hobbies.

"Do you have any questions about the mission?" the female Sannin asked crisply, as if daring her to react in any way negatively. Tenten suspect that the Sannin was drunk again, thus her less-than-amicable mood.

Oh she had a couple, to be sure, such as: Why was she being assigned to a D-rank mission three days before Neji's engagement party? Couldn't the village send any other shinobi? Wasn't the Hokage aware how important it was for her to be there during one of the most important nights of her best friend? Oh, did she mention the mission was _D-rank_? Something that even a gennin fresh out of the academy can accomplish without fail?

But she shook her head, because if there's one thing she learned from spending years with the rest of her team, it was that they don't refuse missions, no matter how insignificant or demeaning it appeared on paper. Because they were Team Gai, and their motto (well, Gai and Lee's, she and Neji were just strung along) was to persevere in anything that came their way, no matter how big or small of a challenge it may be.

Tsunade eyed her warily, relief and disappointment evident in her eyes. What, was she really expecting her to protest? Was it really that big of a deal?

And then something in her mind just _clicked._

She barely heard the Godaime sigh—she looked like she needed a drink right about then—and nodded to the scroll on her table. "Here's the mission briefing," she motioned to Tenten. "Departure of client is tomorrow, 6 a.m. sharp. You are to meet him at the village gate."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Tenten answered, almost in a daze, taking the scroll and bowing once as a sign of respect, before turning her back and heading out the door.

"And Tenten," the kunoichi heard her once-idol call, making her turn her head just the slightest bit to indicate she had heard, "You're the fastest kunoichi in your age group."

Tenten frowned, turned to look at the Hokage, and suddenly she understood.

Of course. It usually takes five days for civilians and even regular shinobi to travel to and back the client's village. But she had trained with Team Gai for years, and if there was something she could be proud of aside from her one-hundred percent accuracy, it was her _speed_.

Smiling at Tsunade ever-so-briefly, Tenten bowed once again. "Hai, Hokage-sama. Thank you."

She was going to make it back in time for Neji's engagement party. And not even his greater-than-thou relatives could stop her.

_**End of Chapter Seven**_

* * *

**Longest chapter so far. At least I think it is. Or one of the longest. Anyway.**

**I've come to realize that some people might have been, well, turned off by my consistent ranting about Neji's death over the past two chapters. In my defense, I'd like to say that I'm really just a fangirl, albeit one that can form coherent sentences. Buuuuut, I do apologize if anyone has been annoyed/irritated/wanted to burn me on a stick. I promise to **_**try **_**(not the emphasis on the word) to not curse Kishimoto every time I write the A/N.**

**And so it comes to this. I would very much like to show my appreciation to the wonderful people who left reviews for the last chapter. It was really awesome opening my e-mail and seeing new messages from you lot. And the usual roll call, if I may be so bold: ****chauvu, Guest **(I really wish you left contact details so I could message you directly, buuut thank you for the two cents :D)**, soul painter, Sepsis, anthropomorphichybrid****, ****Ichigo-chan, Fearless Rider, Senka Hitomi, , and steenta112. Gosh I hope I didn't miss anyone. You all are just so great! :D You all deserve marshmallows.**

**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows and served to you lovelies.**


	8. Hinata

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Eight**_

**Hinata**

Her nii-san had been in a bad mood for two days straight, Hinata noticed, ever since Tenten-san was sent on an escort mission to a small village south of Konoha. Travel time to and back was roughly five days, give or take, and Hinata was aware that it was next to impossible for the older kunoichi to make it in time for her cousin's engagement party that evening.

If the other Hyuugas noticed their prodigy's tantrum, no one did anything about it, or perhaps they simply did not care. Her cousin was famous for his mood swings ever since his genin days, so most of his clansmen just make it a point to stay out of his path whenever he was in one of his brooding moments.

But Hinata was unlike the rest of her clan, and she was genuinely concerned about Neji-nii-san's troubles. She knew how important a person Tenten-san was to him—they've been teammates and best friends for years, so of course Neji-nii would be upset that the older kunoichi couldn't attend. She felt a little guilty too, because she sort of knew about the mission the weapons' mistress was forced to take, but she didn't have the means—nor the authority—to prevent Tenten-san from going through with it.

She thought nothing of it at first, when she heard two elders plotting while she was in their kitchens. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but it wasn't really eavesdropping when the two didn't even bother lowering their voices when they entered the room. She only heard snippets of it—they need _her _away on the big day, she will not be the cause of complications, _how dare she insinuate that she had a place in _his _life!_—before she needed to leave the area to give the older men their privacy, good-mannered lady that she was.

She now mourned the fact that she hadn't put two and two together until it was too late. Next she heard, Tenten-san was on her way out of Konoha with the Hyuuga's regular supplies dealer of parchment, escorting him when he had been going back and forth Konoha for the past ten years without the need of any bodyguard.

And now Neji-nii-san was getting crankier by the hour, and Hinata feared that her cousin might not last the party without jyuukening something or someone out of spite.

* * *

She found Yumi-san in their garden that afternoon, her dainty feet submerged in the pond, little koi fishes nipping at her toes. Hinata wondered why her distant relative wasn't preparing for the party yet—tradition has it that the bride-to-be should be groomed two hours before the actual event.

"Yumi-san?"

The pretty Hyuuga looked up from her reflection, and offered Hinata a gentle smile. "Good afternoon, Hinata-sama. Are you here to enjoy the cool afternoon air as well?"

"H-hai," Hinata started, not sure how to answer. She, in fact, wanted some time alone, to sort out her guilty feelings, and figure a way to make amends to her nii-san and the kunoichi she considers her friend. "Shouldn't you be preparing for the party already?"

Yumi-san nodded and turned to look at her reflection again. "I'll go back to my quarters in a bit. I'm just relaxing before the event."

"Aa," Hinata whispered. She stood silently beside the younger girl, both of them watching the fishes darting to and fro the pond.

Suddenly, her relative spoke up. "You know, Hinata-sama," she started, her voice like silk, milky and smooth. "I never did understand the point of arranged marriages."

Hinata turned to her companion and blinked. She wasn't very close to Yumi-san, so it surprised her that the younger girl was opening up to her like that. She herself did not like the idea of arranged marriages—a brief image of Naruto-kun flashed before her mind, making her blush—but it was tradition, and not many of their clansmen voice their opposition against it, at least not out loud.

"What do you mean?" the heiress asked meekly.

"Truth be told," Yumi-san replied, her voice soft, "I don't really see the point of marrying Neji-nii-san, at least not right now. I don't even think I've ever spoken to him before." The younger Hyuuga paused and dipped her left hand in the water. "I am under no delusion that he has romantic feelings for me either."

Hinata wasn't sure how to respond; she hadn't expected Yumi-san to say those things. She did find the younger girl's words held merit—at least she was sure her Neji-nii didn't love Yumi-san, perhaps he wasn't even fond of her—and again she was reminded of her desire to introduce changes in their system as soon as she takes over the role of clan's head.

Yumi-san stood up carefully then, smoothing her kimono before bowing down at Hinata as a sign of respect. "Thank you for your time, Hinata-sama," she said, and then, "See you tonight at the party," before she turned and walked away.

Hinata suddenly felt the burden in her heart increase tenfold.

* * *

The engagement party, like most Hyuuga affairs, was suffocating. Hinata wished nothing more than to be able to escape, to her room or training grounds, just to be away from the stifling air hanging in the room.

It was expected that most of the attendees were members of the clan—she spotted Hanabi-chan and her otou-sama chatting with an aunt—but there were other invited guests too, important figures in the village—Lady Tsunade, Ibiki-san, Shikaku-san; it was, after all, the Hyuuga prodigy's engagement, and it was supposed to be a night of festivities. She also spotted some of her friends—Kiba-kun and Shino-kun were hanging beside the buffet table, and Sakura-san and Sai-san were to their left, discussing something. Hinata then noticed Gai-sensei being his usual boisterous self—he appeared to be challenging Kakashi-sensei to a drinking contest—but tried as she might, she couldn't find Lee-san anywhere. _Maybe he went to the men's room, _she thought absentmindedly, before her eyes zeroed in on her nii.

Neji-nii-san was flanked by Naruto-kun to his right—Hinata felt the all-too-familiar blush creeping up her face, but she was better at hiding it now—and Shikamaru-kun to his left. Hinata was relieved that her nii-san didn't appear to be murderous; he was still angry, she could tell, but he at least had it under control. His posture was rigid, and he didn't smile—not that he smiled often anyway—but it looked like the two shinobi beside him were safe in the meantime.

Just then, Naruto-kun turned to her and waved happily, motioning to her to approach their little group. Stilling her rapidly beating heart, she headed their way, subconsciously smoothing out any crinkle in her lavender dress.

"Neh, Hinata!" Naruto-kun greeted when she got there. "You look really beautiful tonight!"

Hinata mentally patted her back for not fainting on the spot. Instead, she offered Naruto-kun a shy smile. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. Hello, Shikamaru-kun."

The Nara genius nodded in acknowledgement, though Hinata was sure he was bored out of his wits already.

Then Neji-nii-san bowed slightly to her in greeting. "Hinata-sama."

Hinata nodded back, her guilt suddenly rushing back full force, so she was relieved when Naruto-kun opened his mouth again to speak.

"Too bad Tenten couldn't make it, neh?" he said by way of conversation, obviously unaware of the tension that had been brewing in the past few days. "She has bad luck, I tell you! She's going to miss out on all the food, dattebayo!" And he chuckled and grinned widely, and Hinata wanted nothing more than to lead him away, because she was certain that her cousin's mood suddenly turned homicidal at the mention of his teammate's name. Even Shikamaru-kun noticed the shift in mood and wisely took a step back.

"A-anou, Naruto-kun," she stammered, and for once it wasn't because she was shy. Her long-time crush turned to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Neh, Hinata, are you okay? You're very red." This time, her blush was of the embarrassed kind.

Hinata was still debating whether to faint right then and there or try to dispel the sulky aura that ebbed out of her cousin, when the double doors of their events hall flew open, hinges almost torn, and in came a whirlwind of black and green. The latecomer was wearing a sparkling green suit, which looked pretty out of place amid the dark coat-and-tie of the other men in the room, but that wasn't the reason why everyone turned to look at him.

"Neji! Gai-sensei!" a teary-eyed Lee shouted at the top of his lungs. "Our precious flower was rushed to the hospital, her blossoming youth quickly wilting away!"

It took three seconds of complete silence before Lee's words registered, and by the time Hinata recovered, Gai-sensei and Neji-nii had already sped past her, following the younger Konoha Beast as he blitz out of the room.

Chaos erupted the second her cousin left. Hinata heard raised voices everywhere, and she saw Yumi-san being escorted out of the room by a couple of elders. Said girl didn't appear to be too concerned; in fact, Hinata thought the younger Hyuuga looked rather relieved.

Worried about her friend's safety, Hinata was uncertain if she should follow Team Gai to the hospital, or stay where she was to do some damage control. She was the heiress, after all, and it was her duty to the clan to restore a degree of order amid the melting pot of emotions brewing in the grand hall.

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, and when she turned, she found Naruto-kun smiling at her, not like the trickster he was, but in moral support. "Don't worry, Hinata," he grinned. "I'm sure Tenten will be fine. They're on their way to her, right?"

Infinitely grateful, Hinata smiled and nodded in return, before deciding to stay put and help pacify their guests. In the back of her mind though, she was still worried—she caught a glimpse of her cousin's face as he hurried past her and out the door.

And Hinata was certain that never in her whole life had she seen Neji-nii-san look so utterly _scared _before.

_**End of Chapter Eight**_

* * *

**This is my first time writing anything from Hinata's POV, so I'm kind of worried. I haven't really paid too much attention to her before, but I really need this scene to be from her point of view. So constructive criticism is very welcome at this point.**

**Again, thank you so much for the support you've all been giving me. I am really, really excited at how this series is progressing. Ugh, the drama. It's making me crazy, in a good way, of course.**

**Thanks to those who reviewed: Hakkai Suiren, steenta112, anthropomorphichybrid, chauvu, Ichigo-chan, just be platonic, Sepsis, Kratos Wilder, Senka Hitomi, dianalovely1995, Fearless Rider, NarutoMangafan, and half-note. And of course those who favorite and added this in their alerts. You guys are amazing! Cookie rain to all!**

**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows.**


	9. Tenten 3

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Nine**_

**Tenten**

"PRECIOUS FLOWER OF OUR LIVES!"

She _heard_ them before she saw them.

Which, on hindsight, was completely understandable, because their sensei did have a tendency to over-exaggerate his voice, especially when he was in an emotional state.

It was just that she wasn't expecting them to be there, so when the door came blasting open and a wailing Gai-sensei flew in, she stood frozen, completely forgetting to dodge the Konoha Beast as he tumbled in her direction.

Loving arms and muscled biceps threatened to suffocate her, and she and Gai crashed down the cold hospital floor, her crutch flying out the window (ooh Tsunade-sama is going to be so _pissed!_) and her legs sticking up in midair.

"Gaaah!" she screamed when gravity yanked her injured leg down. White stars blinded her vision, but that didn't stop her from yelling in her sensei's ear. "What the hell! Get off!"

"Tenten!" the older jounin wept, squeezing her tighter than she thought possible. "I am very much distraught for not being there to protect your blossoming youth! Forgive your failure of a sensei!"

"For the love of . . ." Tenten hissed, trying to push her sensei away. "Get off me!" When Gai made no attempt to move, the kunoichi squirmed in his arms, contemplating if she should bite him or summon a katana and run it through his stomach.

And that's when she saw _him_.

She froze for the second time that hour, only to narrow her eyes when realization hit. Slumping, she glared at her best friend, who was currently standing in the doorway, his byakugan activated, his posture that of one who was about to rush in the room and stopped the last second.

"Well?" Tenten muttered. "Are you just going to _stand_ there while he mangles me?"

That seemed enough to break Neji out of his trance, and in another second, he got a still-blubbering Gai off his injured teammate (more like threw him against the wall), and helped her to her feet.

Tenten groaned in pain as she gripped Neji's shoulder, allowing him to lead her to the side of the bed. She noticed that the prodigy was shaking, but she was so sore that she barely paid any attention to it. Only when she was properly seated and the pain shooting up her left leg began to subside, did she push Neji away, and gave him the angriest stare she could muster.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Neji, at a loss of words, tried to open his mouth, then promptly shut it. Seconds later a tick formed on his forehead, and he directed his glare to the remaining member of their little group, who had been cowering behind him ever since Gai had blasted his way in the room.

"Lee."

There was so much venom in Neji's voice that even Tenten flinched, and his anger was not even directed at her!

"A-ah!" the younger taijutsu user flushed red all of a sudden. "I shall look for a nurse to assist Tenten!"

And in an instant, Maito Gai was standing beside him. "Well said, Lee!" their sensei grinned, his teeth pinging perfectly. Gone were the tears that streamed down his face; heck, there was not even a hint that he had cried just minutes ago. "Yosh! Let's race to see who will find the nurse most fit to help our youthful flower get back in the prime of her loveliness!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

Both disappeared before Tenten could chuck a nearby vase in their direction, followed by the sound of crashing waves and seagulls. Only when the echo of their footsteps had faded away did she face Neji again.

"You didn't answer my question."

Her best friend turned to her again, and there was something unreadable in his gaze. That didn't stop her from frowning though. "What the hell, Nej—mffffphh!"

If Tenten was surprised at her team's unexpected arrival, it compared nothing to her shock when Hyuuga Neji suddenly pounced on her, wrapping strong arms around her tiny frame, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

"N-neji?!" she squeaked, instinctively placing both hands on the small of his back. "You're _shaking_!"

The Hyuuga only pressed her against him more closely, as if the idea of distance was something he couldn't, wouldn't grasp.

Tenten, softening, eased her head so that it rested comfortably against Neji's chest. Her arms wrapped around his waist, and she closed her eyes in an effort to calm herself. "What's wrong?" she whispered, afraid that if she spoke any louder, Neji would break. "What did that idiot Lee do this time?"

Gradually, the shaking subsided, and only then did Tenten attempt to pull herself from Neji's embrace. She pushed him away, within arms' length, placing both hands on his shoulders, and looked straight into his eyes. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be getting engaged right now?"

At the mention of his engagement, Neji suddenly stiffened, his demeanor growing cold. She felt him slipping away, and it suddenly scared her, the idea of Neji leaving—leaving _her_—that she gripped his shoulders tightly, pushing him down when she felt him attempt to stand.

"N-no!" she exclaimed, feeling her cheeks heating up all of a sudden. "Don't, okay? I didn't . . . arggh!" Closing her eyes, keeping her hands on Neji, she inhaled, exhaled, inhaled, exhaled, and then snapped her eyes open again. More calmly, she continued, "I didn't mean it that way. It's just . . . what did Lee tell you anyway?"

It took a couple more seconds before Neji replied. "He said," and he paused, and Tenten would swear later that the Hyuuga was _blushing_—what the hell? Neji doesn't blush!—and continued, "he said you were dying."

Her jaw dropped open, and Neji had to hold both her arms to stop her from stomping out of the hospital room—broken leg be damned—and beat the hell out of their friend.

"T-that _moron_!" she screeched when she regained enough of her vocabulary. "Dying?! He said I was _dying_?"

Neji coughed, and Tenten suspected it was to hide a snicker. Well at least he had recovered enough to laugh at her. Idiot. "To quote, he said that," the Hyuuga suddenly whispered, "your blossoming youth was quickly wilting away."

"Oh I am so going to kill him when he gets back," Tenten growled. And when Neji chuckled, "And you actually believed him?!"

Neji stiffened once more, but Tenten was on a roll. "Kami, do all of you think so little of me?" She pushed Neji's arms away, and attempted to stand, only to realize that she stepped on her broken leg, and she winced, but glared when Neji attempted to assist her. "Really?" she continued, pointing an accusing finger at her companion. "It was a D-rank mission! You seriously think I'll get myself killed over some stupid assignment?" She pointed at her leg for effect. "I broke my leg wearing those stupid heels Ino lent me, that's why I'm in the hospital!"

The weight of her words suddenly cut her short, and Neji must have realized at the same time how ridiculous her explanation sounded. Before he could afford to smirk, Tenten narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't you dare," she growled. "Have you ever tried walking in heels? It's torture!"

And when Neji's face grew uncharacteristically red, Tenten threw her hands in defeat. "I give up," she muttered. "Laugh all you want."

Neji's laughter, she decided afterward, was beautiful—deep, rich, and damn contagious. Several seconds more and she was laughing with him, holding her sides because it hurt so much—her left leg was throbbing, and her hip still hurt from when she landed on her butt down the flight of stairs in her little apartment.

When the bubbles of laughter subsided, Neji took her hands again and enclosed them in his own. "What happened, really?" he asked, and Tenten felt a sudden lurching in her stomach, something she had never felt before. Hiding it with a sheepish smile, she answered, "I fell down the stairs." And before Neji could open his mouth to reply, she quickly continued, pulling her hands away. "What? I was in such a hurry because I was already running late for your stupid party, and I, well, I didn't exactly think things through." She sighed. "It was a good thing Lee dropped by to fetch me, otherwise I would have crawled by myself to the hospital, ruining this perfectly good dress."

It was the first time Tenten remembered she wasn't in her usual kunoichi clothes—she was in a pretty powder pink Chinese collar dress, the hem ending somewhere mid-thigh, showing off, for once, her beautifully toned legs. Lee had complimented her in a very grand way, as expected, and she had to bite back a blush as she hissed at him to take her to the hospital—damn it, couldn't he see she was in pain? All the while Lee had piggybacked her, running as carefully as he could because he didn't want to hurt her more, Tenten had remained perfectly still, because it felt so good, being physically near Lee, and finally being showered affection that she thought she'd never get from him. Had she known it would have taken an injury to get him to pay attention, she would have deliberately broken an arm early on.

She sighed again. "I told him to go ahead and tell you that I'll try to drop by after I get my leg fixed, but that I'll be extremely late. I don't know how the hell that translates to my blossoming youth quickly wilting away."

She felt Neji take her hands again, and she didn't pull away. "I'm just glad you're okay." And when she looked up, she saw there was so much affection in his eyes, that her heart did a back flip, causing her to shudder involuntarily, making Neji raise an eyebrow.

To save some of her dignity, Tenten immediately retaliated, "You shouldn't be here, you know. You should go back to your party. Your clan already hates me enough as it is." And she immediately regretted her words as soon as she said them, because Neji's hands tightened around hers, and his eyes grew cold.

"I—uh—that wasn't . . . I . . ."

"You never told me his name."

She blinked. "Huh?"

"Your client. I asked, but you didn't tell me who he was."

Tenten paled. There was a reason why she didn't tell him her client's name when he asked, the same afternoon she received her mission details. It was because she recognized his picture—she had seen him in the Hyuuga compound in several occasions while she was trying to assist in Neji's wedding preparations—and she was certain that her friend knew him.

"B-but what does it matter?" she stammered, trying to pull her hands away, but Neji clamped on her tightly. "You're not part of the mission so you don't need to know, right? It's, uh, classified information?"

"It's D rank, Tenten," she heard the distinct impatience in Neji's voice, and she gulped. "You don't classify information for D-rank missions."

"E-exactly! It's only a D rank! And I made it back in one piece, didn't I? Quicker than the usual travel time too! I would have made it to your party, I swear, had I not tripped down the stairs. So what's the point really? It's not like . . ."

She risked a glance at Neji, and realized that he couldn't care less what kind of mission it was, or that she made it back in time. He wanted to know the client's name, and neither of them was leaving the room until he got his answer.

_Damn stubborn prodigy._

Tenten hung her head in defeat. There was really no use, arguing with Neji, especially when he was in one of his moods. Might as well tell him and get it over it. What was the worst he could do, beat the poor guy into a pulp? Said guy mostly didn't even know that he was used by the Hyuugas. He looked rather surprised when she told him that morning that she was going to be his bodyguard until he reached his village. Never had a bodyguard before, he told her quietly as they made their way out of Konoha.

"Satoshi Kurama-san," she whispered as softly as she could, hoping that Neji wouldn't hear. The tighter grip on her knuckles proved her wrong. And suddenly he was letting her go, mumbling something like "I have to go," before walking briskly to the door.

"Neji!" she shouted in panic. "Don't you dare leave me here alone with those _idiots_!" It was stupid, but it was the only way she could think of to stop him from leaving and confronting who knows how many Hyuuga elders in her behalf. When it looked like it worked—Neji faltered just as his right foot was out the door—she kept at it. "I swear, Hyuuga, if you take another step away I am _never _sparring with you again! You'll be forced to train with Lee and Gai-sensei for the rest of your career as a shinobi!" She crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping that her best friend would fall for her blackmail.

Neji froze, and for a second Tenten thought she succeeded, but the Hyuuga began to move out again.

"Neji!" She was desperate now, and a sob tore from her throat, but she wasn't sure why the hell she was very near tears. "Just _stay, _damn it!" And more softly, as if suddenly spent, "Please."

Neji was back to her side in three second flat, enveloping her again in a hug.

She sighed in relief and buried her face in his chest. "I don't want you to do something stupid," she whispered, relieved that he stayed. _I'm not worth it, _she added to herself.

"I'm sorry," Neji whispered back. "And thank you."

Tenten nodded softly, not caring that she had just unintentionally ruined what was supposed to be one of the most important evenings in the recent history of Konoha. She knew there were repercussions, sooner or later, but at that moment, she really just want Neji there _beside_ her.

Almost as an afterthought, she said, "Plus I really don't want to be left alone with Lee right now." And she knew she would be, because Gai would most certainly leave her in Lee's care the second he's sure she was all right. And she couldn't deal with him, not when she was so confused of her feelings—for him and Neji and the whole goddamned situation they were all in.

The tightening of Neji's arms around her told her it was the wrong thing to say, but she was Tenten, and sometimes she speaks before she thinks, so there was no way to take back what she had just said, not anymore.

_**End of Chapter Nine**_

* * *

**Argh. I was supposed to post this next week (I was actually waiting for at least ten reviews, sorry, haha!), but 616 came out and I am angry again. Anyway, I won't bore you guys with my rant, so, whatever. (Damn you, Kishimoto.)**

**A lot of you must have gone "HUH?!" when you read that Tenten was, in fact, **_**not **_**dying, but I promise I will explain Lee's actions in the next chapter. It was supposed to be in the second part of this chapter, but I realized this has already going too long, so I decided to save that for the tenth chapter instead. And maybe use Lee's POV instead of Tenten's, as originally planned. I hope that's okay with everyone?**

**Anthropomorphichybrid, Senka Hitomi, chauvu, Sepsis, SLY-Lay'La, Fearless Rider, Kratos Wilder, kimochichokimochi and FruitySmell, thank you so much for your wonderful reviews. They really encouraged me to continue with this story. I hope you and the other readers enjoy this chapter.**

**Gah, I'm in such a depressed mood right now. I should have known better than to read that chapter. Sigh.**

**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows.**


	10. Lee 3

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Ten**_

**Lee**

Lee knew he has done a lot of stupid things in his life.

Some were so insignificant they were not even worth mentioning, but some were so catastrophic—like opening gates during his fight with Gaara so that he almost died, or fighting Kimimaro, where he almost died _again_—any other person would not have thought of doing them.

And yet Lee never regretted any of his actions, even when they led him to trouble. He considered them training, lessons he needed to learn in order to become stronger, better than yesterday, at the very least.

But as he watched Neji and Tenten still hugging each other, while he stood in the doorway, apparently forgotten—Gai-sensei was still showering (more like chasing, really) random nurses with rainbow stars—he felt a quiet stirring in his heart, and for the first time since he could remember, he almost hated himself for fetching Neji and Gai-sensei half an hour past.

* * *

The walk back to Tenten's house was filled with a quiet unease, punctuated with silent hisses from their flower of a friend, whenever she accidently stepped on her bad heel. Both Neji and Lee offered to carry her home, but she had vehemently refused, saying something about wanting to save what was left of her dignity after Lee had to carry her to the hospital. They settled for letting her walk on crutches then, Neji and him following her warily a couple of steps behind, ready to catch her the second she slipped or tumbled.

They reached her place without any untoward incident—save from his bleeding eardrums, a casualty of hearing Tenten swear one time too many (such vulgar words coming from a delicate blossom, how unyouthful!)—and within minutes Tenten had plopped down unceremoniously on her couch, throwing her crutch with disdain, as Lee sat on the adjacent chair, and Neji offered to make some tea for three.

Lee watched worriedly as Tenten tried to ease herself on her seat, then lied on her back to look for the most comfortable position for her leg to rest on. When it was obvious that she was not making progress, Lee opted to help, grabbing a throw pillow and absentmindedly lifting her leg in an attempt to put the pillow under.

_That_ earned a surprised squeak from his friend, so loud that Neji rushed from the kitchen, byakugan on the ready, one hand still holding a teacup. He found them in a very awkward position—Tenten's good foot was pressed against Lee's cheek, her hands yanking down her skirt to cover herself, her face red as tomato. Lee had her bad leg suspended in midair with his left hand, obviously trying to position the throw pillow under it.

When Neji went back to the kitchen fifteen minutes later, the throw pillow was placed strategically under Tenten's bad leg, a comforter covered her from the waist down, and Lee sported three cracked ribs (courtesy of Neji) and a black eye (courtesy of Tenten).

Only when he was again uncomfortably seated on the adjacent chair did Tenten deem it right to talk to him for the first time since he left her in the hospital to get his other teammates.

"Why the hell did you tell Neji and Gai that I'm dying?"

Lee had expected her to be angry, but Tenten just sounded so _tired_. He realized he didn't like it, this Tenten, sounding so spent and utterly defeated. Bring back the foul language! he almost demanded then, except that he didn't think such crude language should come out of Tenten's delicate lips.

"I'm so sorry, oh youthful flower," he apologized, holding his right hand over his chest in a gesture of remorse. "I was so worried about you and I know that the only thing that will make you get better soon is with the full support of our beloved team and . . . I guess I overreacted a little."

Truth be told, he hadn't really planned on barging in on the party like that. But the idea of Tenten being hurt rattled him so much—which was weird, because he had seen her hurt countless times before in and out of missions—that as he made his way to the venue, his mind concocted the most ridiculous of scenarios, one which included Tenten losing one leg, the other both legs, and the last one with the rest of their team lowering her coffin six feet below the ground. Panic overwhelmed him that before he knew what was happening, he was blitzing toward the Hyuuga hall, and in a manner of seconds had torn down the great oak double doors and shouted the first thing that came to his mind. He vaguely recalled it involved wilting or something, but he was so _scared _he wouldn't be surprised if he actually shouted total gibberish back then.

"Overreacted?" he heard Tenten hiss. "You dragged Neji to the hospital on his engagement night because I broke a heel. What kind of idiot does that?"

"But Tenten," Lee said earnestly. "Surely your welfare is more important to my eternal rival than any other event."

"Baka," Tenten growled, but Lee noticed that his friend mellowed down a bit. "I have half a mind to punch you again if it weren't so troublesome."

"Tenten! Have you been hanging around Shikamaru behind our backs?"

"Baka!"

They fell into a more companionable silence for a couple of minutes, before Tenten suddenly whispered, very softly, "Say, Lee?"

Only trained ears could have picked up the sound, and Lee was grateful that he was very attuned with the rest of his team. "What is it, oh youthful flower of my life?"

A pause; he saw Tenten blush, and somehow, it made him feel queasy as well. Then, "Why do you love Sakura so much?"

The question surprised him, because it wasn't in Tenten's nature to be gossipy about his feelings about Sakura-san. Actually, now that he thought about it, Tenten almost never asked him about how he felt for the pink-haired kunoichi.

Lee paused and tried to gather his thoughts. Then, a soft smile escaping his lips, he answered, "Because she's smart and very beautiful, and she cares a lot for her friends." A pause. "And she makes me want to protect her."

A soft, tired chuckle answered him. And then, almost patronizingly, "What, you don't think I'm smart and beautiful?"

Lee's eyes grew wider in protest. How could she think that way! "Of course I think you're beautiful! And you're one of the smartest people I know!" And then, true to his nature, he got carried away and grabbed Tenten's right hand, gripping it tightly in his own. "Tenten, you should know by now that I love you too!" He heard Tenten's breath hitch, but thought nothing of it, so caught up in his speech he was. "But my love for you is pure and innocent, like the beautiful flower that you are!"

An eerie quiet followed, and after a few seconds, Tenten gently pulled her hand away from Lee. It bothered him for some reason, but he had no time to process what it was because Tenten suddenly started speaking again.

"Hey Lee?" A pause. "Let's say, hypothetically speaking, you and I and Neji and Sakura are on a mission, and Sakura and I got captured by the enemy—"

"I will never let that happen!"

"I know, I know, but hypothetically speaking— "

"What does hypothetically speaking mean, Tenten?"

". . . assuming that Sakura and I got caught, and we were left hanging, suspended on a tall tree—"

"—but why would they suspend you on a tree?"

"—and the ropes broke at the same time—"

"—why would the ropes break? You are not that heavy!"

"—just let me finish, goddamn it—and you can only save one . . . which one will you save?"

"Sakura-san, of course!"

And there was a heartbreaking silence that followed, for a fraction of a second Lee wasn't sure if he should have answered differently. But his conviction told him it was the right answer, no matter how shattered Tenten looked at that very moment.

"I see," she whispered, barely audible, even for him.

Lee was confused. Why did Tenten sound so disappointed? His answer was justifiable!

More than the fact that he has been infatuated with Sakura-san since their genin years, Lee answered like that because he knew that given that situation, he need not worry about Tenten at all. Neji would rush to catch her, whether Lee or anyone else was there or not. No one would be able to catch her faster than Neji could. He wouldn't let anyone else catch her, stubborn person that he was.

The, "I'm tired now," Tenten said, rolling to her side. "Please leave."

"But Tenten—" He needed to explain! He didn't want Tenten to think he did not care for her!

"Just . . . can you call Neji? I want to go to my room."

"I'll take you there!" He cared for her! She was important to him!

"No." There was such heaviness in her voice that Lee suddenly froze, and realized that no matter what he say, the discussion was over, and he had no option but to obey her.

Half a minute and he was back with Neji in tow. His eternal rival was beside their female friend in a flash. "Tenten?" Neji asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey Neji," Tenten croaked, and she stirred, placing a hand on top of Neji's, and Lee felt something in his heart break at the sound of her voice. "Do you think you can help me up my room? My foot is killing me, and I think the painkillers are starting to wear off."

"Of course." Without preamble, Neji scooped up Tenten bridal-style, and for once, the kunoichi made no protest as the byakugan user carried her.

And as Lee watched Neji bring Tenten upstairs, his arms around her protectively, her arms around his neck for support, something in his chest stirred, something he had never felt before, not even with Sasuke-kun or Naruto-kun.

He was jealous.

_**End of Chapter Ten**_

* * *

**Well, I hope that explains things, more or less. It took longer to update, but yeah, well, work is starting to come in again (I was officially awarded fifteen new book projects this week, talk about a heavy load) so I may not update as quickly as I have been the past weeks. But never fear! Update I shall, as humanly possible! (It's 1 a.m. here so forgive me if I'm not making sense anymore.)**

**And since shameless plugging is shameless, I will be shameless and plug my newest oneshot, "Rebirthing," which features a ghost Neji but not really, a crazy Tenten but not quite, and Lee and Gai-sensei with the usual candy sprinkles (or not).**

**Thank you to all who reviewed (too sleepy to list down everyone, but I responded to everyone, right? Well, except the anonymous reviews, I think) and I really, really, really appreciate everything you told me since the last time I posted. Gosh, you guys are amazing.**

**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to, well, roast chestnuts?**


	11. Sakura

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Eleven**_

**Sakura**

Sakura finished wrapping the bandages around Tenten's left heel, sealing them off with a pair of metal clips to hold the pieces of cloth in place. She then picked up the cement casting discarded at the older kunoichi's side and placed it on top of the small table to her right. Only then did she face the weapons wielder again.

"There we go," she said, smiling kindly at her patient. "The good news is, your bone wasn't really broken. You had a sprained ankle, that's all."

She watched the other kunoichi frown, and she readied herself for the expected burst. Tenten was, after all, not really known for her patience, not even with her own teammates.

"So why the hell did you guys even cement my leg for a week?!"

Sakura had the decency to look apologetic. "I'm sorry, Tenten-san. But the doctor in charge when you came in was an intern, and he must have misdiagnosed your injury." She didn't add that the reason why there were no good doctors in the hospital that night was that all of them had been invited to Neji's engagement party. "I would have realized this sooner, but you only came for checkup today."

Tenten's frown deepened. "Your _intern _told me to check in after a week. Didn't think it would matter if I came in earlier, since doctors are supposed to _know_ what's best for their patients," she spat.

_Oh boy_, inner Sakura muttered. _She's pissed, all right. If I get mauled here, I'm so going to beat up that intern, shannaro!_

Sakura offered another weak smile. "Again, I'm sorry, Tenten-san. If it's any consolation, this means your foot will be good as new in a couple of days, as long as you don't overwork yourself."

"In case you haven't noticed, Sakura," Tenten chimed in, voice laced with sarcasm, "I haven't had the chance to overwork myself since my accident." She ended her statement with a flourish to her left leg, still stretched out the examination table.

Sakura bit back a retort. "Of course. I'm sorry," she said again, before turning around in the pretense of rearranging her medical kit.

She sighed inwardly. She and Tenten weren't exactly what people would call close. Sure, they were both part of Konoha Eleven, as their teams were collectively called by some civilians and shinobi in the village, but she was really closer to Ino, while Tenten seemed to have taken a liking at Hinata. Heck, even Ino was closer to Tenten than Sakura would ever dream to be. Truth be told, the older kunoichi's temper frightened her a little—Tenten was renowned for throwing random weapons at people who annoyed her, and wringing Lee's neck every once in a while when said boy did something ridiculous. And of course Sakura understood that Tenten would be in a foul mood for having been misdiagnosed and thus prevented from doing anything ninja-like for the past week; she was part of Team Gai, after all, and they've been known to take the meaning of "training" to a whole new level. Still, Sakura wished she didn't have to bear the brunt of the weapons' mistress' anger by herself.

_Where is Shizune-san when I need her?_ inner Sakura muttered.

"Anyway," the medic-nin said, facing her patient again. "Come back in three days for another checkup. I'll see if we can clear you for missions before the end of the month."

Tenten snorted, and Sakura forced herself not to groan out loud in exasperation. Instead, she offered the most professional smile she could muster, and said, "You're free to go now, Tenten-san. Let me just get your crutches, okay?"

The pink-haired kunoichi had turned around to retrieve the crutches leaning against one of the corner walls, when she heard Tenten sigh behind her. Risking a peek, she saw the older kunoichi rubbing her right shoulder with her left hand, a small frown on her pretty face. Tenten suddenly locked eyes with her, and before Sakura could pull her eyes away, the weapons' mistress murmured, "I'm sorry, Sakura."

The medic nin tucked a lock of pink hair behind her ear. "What are you apologizing for, Tenten-san?" she asked cautiously.

Tenten shrugged. "For snapping at you like that." She exhaled loudly. "It's just that getting cooped in for long periods usually makes me cranky. I know it's not your fault I was misdiagnosed. So . . . I'm sorry."

Sakura exhaled tense breath she didn't know she was holding. "Don't worry about it, Tenten-san," she smiled, more genuinely this time. "I understand. I'd be going crazy too had I been in the same situation."

Tenten offered her a cheeky grin, and Sakura suddenly felt hopeful—maybe, just maybe, she and Tenten could be friends, real friends after this.

She'd retrieved the crutches and was about to hand them to the kunoichi, ready to assist her if she needed help—not that Tenten looked willing to be treated like an invalid, of course—when the older kunoichi suddenly asked, "Do you still love Sasuke?"

Sakura froze in mid-reach, crutches still in hand. "Huh?"

"Sasuke," Tenten repeated patiently. "Are you still in love with him?"

The question came out of nowhere, and it surprised her. Moreso because Tenten was the last person she expected to ask her that—well, maybe except for Neji or Shino. Still, the kunoichi looked like she was seriously waiting for a response, so Sakura managed to whisper an answer.

"I am." Because she was, despite everything the young Uchiha had done to their village, to her team, to her. She couldn't lie to herself, and she knew Tenten wouldn't appreciate being lied to as well, no matter what her intention for asking her that was.

Tenten nodded, eyebrows meeting, as if in deep thought. She then extended her right arm, and Sakura automatically gave her the crutches. She watched the weapons wielder stand up wobbly, but she offered no help, because she knew Tenten would take offense if she did.

"Thanks for your time," Tenten whispered as she passed the medic nin, and Sakura watched her retreat to the door, limping even with her crutches for support. Just when she thought Tenten would exit, the kunoichi suddenly turned her head back and locked eyes with her once again.

"You really should give Lee a chance, you know." A pause, and Sakura noticed how shaky the older kunoichi's next words suddenly became. "He loves you a lot, probably more than Sasuke ever will."

And then she was gone, out of the room, and Sakura gaped at the door for a few seconds before something clicked in her genius of a brain.

_Tenten's in love with Lee-san._

Inner Sakura tsked.

* * *

Sakura found the younger Green Beast sitting on one of the stone benches near the Academy the same afternoon. He looked spaced out, which was very unusual, because Lee was always doing some sort of training almost every time she saw him.

"Hello, Lee-san," she greeted, taking a seat beside him.

The taijutsu expert turned his head toward her, face blank for a fraction of a second, before round eyes suddenly became all the more rounder.

"Sakura-san!" he hollered, as if they were a kilometer apart and not mere inches away. "I am so lucky to be blessed by your presence this lovely afternoon! Now my day is complete, after seeing your exuberant grace and beauty that is more beautiful than all the cherry blossoms in the world!"

Sakura heard the distinct crashes of the ocean's waves, but thought it proper not to pay too much attention to it. Weird things always happen when Lee starts one of his speeches, after all.

"What pleasure it is to be granted an audience with your youthful self!"

Sakura was sure rainbows would appear next, so she cut Lee off before he could continue. "I was just going to ask how your ribs are doing, Lee-san." She nodded to her companion's chest. "Do they still hurt?"

Lee blinked, and round eyes became distorted with tears. "I am so touched, Sakura-san! You really know how to make me happy with your concern for my youthful welfare." Before Sakura could mutter a retort, the shinobi shook his head vigorously. "They no longer hurt, my lovely Sakura-san! Neji knows that I meant Tenten no harm, so he only hit me with half the force he would had I been a real threat to our youthful flower's blossoming vigor!"

Sakura didn't even want to know what the boy beside her meant by that.

"That's good then," she answered instead. "Make sure you drop by the hospital tomorrow so I can check them out, okay?"

"Of course! If I don't, I'll run backward around the village fifty times!"

"Uh, okay."

They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence after, as Sakura tried to piece out what she needed to tell Lee next.

He beat her to it.

"How was Tenten's checkup, Sakura-san?"

She noticed the shift in tone—very subtle, really, considering Lee was as loud as loud could be—and suddenly Sakura felt like she was caught in a web that she had no intention of being in, in the first place.

"She should be cleared for missions before the month ends," she answered, as if it was already set in stone. It wasn't, of course, but she felt it was what Lee needed to hear that moment.

Said shinobi nodded, almost absentmindedly, and Sakura wondered if, perhaps, it was wrong of her to seek him out that day. It was obvious he was not himself, especially in regard anything that has to do with Tenten.

_Tell him already! _inner Sakura whined. _Invite him for dinner like you planned, shannaro! _

But Sakura shook her head quietly, as if suddenly she realized that there was no point, really, giving Lee a chance, just as Tenten had requested. She didn't need to. She understood then that she lost Lee, just as she had lost Naruto to Hinata (although she was sure the idiot doesn't know it himself, yet), just as she had lost Sasuke to his hatred.

She had lost to Tenten, and it made her sad, even when she held no romantic feelings for Lee in the first place.

"Why don't you visit her, neh?" she encouraged, and felt a sharp stab in her chest when Lee nodded, eyes burning with determination about something that did not involve her. It amused her, in a weird kind of way, that it hurt, letting go of Lee like that, when she wasn't even aware that she was holding on to him to begin with.

"I think I will," Lee whispered, and then, more loudly, "Thank you, Sakura-san! You're most lovely and I am touched by your concern for my youthful flower's welfare!"

And Sakura no longer saw herself in Lee's eyes, not even when he continued to shower her with useless praise for another two minutes before he took off to look for his friend.

Only then did Sakura accept the fact that maybe she had made a mistake when she had hopelessly yearned for Sasuke-kun all this time.

_Too late, _inner Sakura murmured, for once not her usual feisty self. _We're idiots, shannaro._

_**End of Chapter Eleven**_

* * *

**Ooh, a Sakura chapter. I can hear them whips cracking. Eep.**

**Anyway. No fluff whatsoever here (because I refuse to accept Lee's showers of praises as fluff, ugh), but it helps set up the next chapters, at least. And to those who are wondering why we haven't dealt with the aftermath of the failed engagement party yet, well, we'll get to that . . . eventually. (Cue in evil laughter)**

**Anyway (again). You guys. I just noticed that I've passed the one-hundred-reviews mark. Gasp. Seriously, you lot rock (like Rock Lee!)! Thank you so much for the wonderful, wonderful reviews. Every kind word helps me continue with this drama, no matter how troublesome (eep!) writing sometimes become because of my other real-life responsibilities. So please keep 'em coming!**

**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast, well, okay, I'm bringing back the marshmallows, but just because I love you guys so much.**


	12. Tenten 4

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Twelve**_

**Tenten**

She heard footsteps, almost inaudible, and she instantly _knew_ it was him.

"Found me, huh?" she murmured, knowing that his ears were trained enough to hear her whisper, no matter how softly she said the words.

Sighing, she threw a pebble at the river while Neji sat beside her. She could feel the Hyuuga's eyes, observant as always, but she didn't feel like returning his gaze, lest her eyes betray how disheartened she was.

"How did your checkup go?" Neji's baritone echoed in her ears, and Tenten resisted the urge to grin. Leave it to Neji to sound so unaffected but concerned at the same time.

She shrugged. "Apparently, I didn't break my leg," she said, wiggling the toes on her left foot. "And that I should be able to go back doing missions by the end of the month, if I don't overwork myself." She snorted when she remembered Sakura's words. The last thing she wanted was another week of being physically inactive; sure, she might be the least training-obsessed person in their team, but she was no lazy bum either. Her muscles ached from disuse, and she very badly wanted to spar against Neji just to keep her blood going.

She was answered by silence, but Tenten didn't mind. Silence was a part of their lives for so long she understood that Neji agreed with Sakura's diagnosis even without having to voice out his thoughts. She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"So what did the elders say?" she asked instead, subtly diverting the attention away from her injury. She wanted to know what punishment Neji received because of his actions anyway. She was no fool—she had known Neji for a long time, and the Hyuuga clan by extension—and she knew there had to be repercussions. Whether Neji would shoulder the entire punishment, or she would be indirectly affected as well, she'd want to know. They were, after all, best friends, and best friends stand side by side despite all odds.

Neji was quiet for a moment, and Tenten gave him his space; far it be for her to insist on the issue if he was not ready to talk about it. But after a few more seconds, the byakuyan user replied, quietly, "We're discussing it tomorrow during the weekly clan meeting."

Tenten turned to her best friend and raised an eyebrow. "What, they didn't hold a special meeting to discuss what happened?" She was trying to see if Neji was lying—she didn't think he would, but just in case—but the Hyuuga chose that very moment to hide his face behind his hair. _Smartass_, she almost hissed, except that Neji answered her query before she could say anything else.

"Hiashi-sama had deemed it best if I was given time to prepare my defense."

The kunoichi nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense," she whispered. "It's a good thing your uncle cares for you. Can't say the same thing about the others, I'm afraid. At least they didn't activate your seal or something."

She felt Neji stiffen beside her, and then she _knew. _

"No," she hissed, gritting her teeth. "They didn't."

She was answered with more silence.

"Those bastards!" Tenten suddenly yelled, almost standing up in indignation, had Neji not suddenly reached out and held her in place by wrapping his hand around her arm. "Neji!" she angrily said. "They shouldn't have done that!"

"It doesn't matter," the prodigy murmured, letting go of her arm afterward. "It's done."

Tenten wanted to shout, scream, throw hundreds of kunais at every which direction. But she knew Neji was right; nothing she did could undo what the Hyuuga elders had done to him. The best she could do then was to show him that she was there, that she would always be there.

"Are you okay?" she whispered after she calmed down a bit. Gingerly, she wrapped her hand around his arm, mimicking his action just a few seconds ago.

"Of course."

Sighing in frustration, Tenten suddenly lied on her back, crossing her free arm under her head while her other hand remained around Neji's bicep, before sliding it down his wrist and keeping it there. The two of them stayed in companionable silence for a few minutes, and Tenten took the time to watch different patches of cloud drift by, humming a little tune to herself.

"This is relaxing, isn't it?" she then said absentmindedly. "Watching clouds. I think I like it."

"You're starting to sound like Shikamaru," came Neji's retort, something akin to irritation laced in his voice.

"And you're starting to sound like Lee," Tenten chuckled, before mellowing down at the mention of their other best friend's name.

Then, "Hey Neji?" The Hyuuga made no answer, but Tenten knew that he was listening. "I think I'm finally ready now."

"Ready for what?" She didn't really expect Neji to respond, but she was glad he did. It made things easier, being prompted to answer questions that should have been rhetorical to begin with.

"To move on from Lee."

They stayed quiet again for a couple more minutes, before Neji broke the silence with a question.

"So you're letting him go?"

Tenten fought a chuckle that bubbled in her throat. "He wasn't really mine to hold on to anyway."

She saw Neji in her peripheral vision, nodding slowly, and she wasn't sure what that meant. She felt lighter though, finally being able to say it out loud, her plan, no matter how painful it was. She just hoped Sakura, smart as she was, took her not-so-subtle hint to give Lee the chance he so much deserved.

Lee had proved to Tenten last week, using her hypothetical scenario, how much he would prioritize Sakura over her, over anyone, probably. Her heart broke—it hurt, Kami, it hurt so much—but she would get over it. Because Tenten wasn't selfish, and although she knew Lee could never love her the way she loved him, that didn't mean she didn't want her friend to be happy. And if he would be happiest with the pink-haired kunoichi, then far it be for her to get in the way of that happiness.

"Are you okay?" Neji's voice broke through her thoughts, an echo of her question moments ago.

She offered him an impish grin and squeezed his wrist. "Well, not yet," she answered, because it wouldn't do to lie to Neji, who had been with her since forever. "But I will be soon. I know I will."

And she watched as Neji turned to her, regarding her with eyes that saw so much of her heart. She offered him a more genuine smile, silently thanking him for being there, listening to her rants and her heartaches, even when it was none of his concern, because he had more than enough troubles of his own. Tenten then realized how much she had needed Neji, still needed him, how much she depended on him all those years, as much as she depended on Lee, or even more, because with Neji she always felt safe, and she didn't need to hide what she felt, and _why in the world was Neji leaning toward her?!_

"Nej—" Her breath got caught in her throat as she watched Neji—her best friend since they were both genin, the boy she admired and trusted with all her life, Hyuuga's prodigy who was _engaged_ to be married by the end of the month—carefully stroke the left side of her face, that small space between her cheek and chin, with the back of his index and middle fingers, as if removing some imaginary dirt on her skin. He was smiling—a small, affectionate smile, and Kami, she always loved seeing him smile, no matter how rare they were, because it showed a side of Neji that very few people know—and she couldn't help but smile back, carefully sliding the hand on his wrist up his arm, ending on his shoulder, and she waited, with baited breath, as Neji inched closer, closer, closer, and her eyes fluttered close, and . . .

"Tenten!"

Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up abruptly, on instinct, and her forehead collided painfully against Neji's nose. She recoiled from pain, knowing that Neji had it worse, but she couldn't really pay attention to him now, because out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lee—_Lee!—_madly rushing toward her, and in another second she was enveloped in his hug, so that they both fell sideways, crashing into Neji in the process.

She froze for a fraction of a second—_Lee was hugging her!_—before realizing that they were in the most ridiculous position possible. "Lee!" she yelled when she felt the back of her head digging into Neji's ribs. "Get off, you baka!"

Immediately the Green Beast stood, as if in shock, and Tenten took the opportunity to sit up and drag herself away from both men.

"What is wrong with you?!" she hissed, as she tried to inch away from Lee while checking on Neji, who still had his palm against his face, as if in pain. "Neji, Kami, are you okay?"

Tenten was answered with a muffled groan, and the kunoichi's eyes snapped back to their other teammate. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Neji was going to kiss you!" Lee suddenly accused, pointing a finger at the Hyuuga.

Kunoichi and prodigy froze, but Tenten recovered more quickly. "He was not!" The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop herself, so she had to clamp it close with both hands before she could blurt out anything else. She then risked a glance at her best friend, and noticed that he had let go of his face, and that aside from being bloody, it didn't seem like his nose was broken.

"Of course he was!" Lee insisted, voice increasing in decibels. "My eternal rival!" he then turned to Neji, who was glaring at him with utmost venom, "Have you finally broken your engagement? Are you going to pursue Tenten honestly now?"

"Lee!" Tenten shrieked, embarrassed beyond recognition. "What the hell!"

The taijutsu expert turned to her again. "Tenten, you must not let Neji take advantage of you, not until you are certain of his intentions! Although I will be most happy if you two end up together, it is most unyouthful for Neji to woo you while he is still promised to someone else!"

"Shut up, Lee."

Neji's angry baritone made Tenten and Lee snap their heads to the prodigy's direction. Angry byakugan eyes glared at the Konoha beast, and additional ticks formed on his forehead, and Tenten suspected they had nothing to do with Neji's kekkei genkai whatsoever.

"Hah!" If Neji had expected Lee to be intimidated with his tone, he was dead wrong. "My eternal rival! I challenge you! For Tenten's honor, I will defeat you in a duel!"

"My honor?!" Tenten's jaw dropped in shock. "Lee, you baka, I don't need anyone defending my honor for me!"

"Never fear, youthful flower of my life," Lee then turned to her, flashing her a Good Guy pose. "I shall make sure Neji is worth your love. I vow to protect your blossoming youth from now on, even from him!"

"P-protect?" Tenten stared at her other best friend, aghast. What in the world happened? What the hell did Sakura tell him?

"Do you accept my challenge?" Lee asked, turning again to his eternal rival. His voice was suddenly somber, his stance serious.

Tenten glared at Neji, willing him to put an end to this madness. Surely he wasn't stupid enough to patronize Lee's silly antics, right? He was supposed to be the other sane member of Team Gai, after all!

Instead, the prodigy nodded, albeit stiffly, and Tenten's heart dropped to her stomach when she heard Neji's answer.

"I accept."

_**End of Chapter Twelve**_

* * *

**It's way past my bedtime, so I'll make this quick, sweet and simple. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. I most certainly enjoyed writing it. Oh, and I'm really relieved the Sakura chapter worked. I was really worried about it, truth be told. So thanks again to everyone who said it did!**

**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows.**


	13. Neji 3

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

**Neji**

"Please listen to me right now! You two can't fight!"

He heard the frustration in her voice, even when she and Lee were a good ten feet away, standing in front of the kicking pole the taijutsu expert was currently using for warm-up. She was trying to convince him to not push through with the duel, but it was obvious that she was not going to succeed.

He watched with cold indifference as the kunoichi continued to nag at their teammate, her face shifting in different degrees of anger, fear, and resignation. She, too, knew it was futile to stop the fight; once Lee had set his mind on something, not even their former sensei could talk him out of it.

Not that he had any plans of backing out of the challenge either.

"This whole rivalry thing is so stupid! I thought you two had outgrown it by now!"

He could still hear her, and he saw Lee's mouth moving in answer as he threw another kick at the pole. He couldn't hear what he said, but whatever it was, it made their female friend freeze for a fraction of a second, before her face burned up a dark shade of red.

He frowned; he had never seen her blush, at least not that much. He suddenly felt an urge to march over to where the two were standing and yank her away from Lee, drag her far, far away and shake her, hard, just so she'd snap at him and maybe beat him up, and promptly forget whatever conversation she just had with their overzealous friend.

But he was Hyuuga Neji, and it wasn't in his nature to be overly dramatic about anything. So he stood there and watched silently as she stuttered a response, too softly even for him to hear.

Something about her sudden shy, demure nature struck a raw nerve in him, and he silently turned around, not wanting to see more of it. He didn't stir, not even when he heard her wobble awkwardly toward him a few minutes past.

"Neji!" she hissed, but he did not turn to face her. He heard her growl and mutter a foul word, and a few seconds more and she was in front of him, clinging to her crutch in an effort to remain upright. "I can't smack some sense into that idiot! Please don't be as difficult as he is!"

He met her eyes, glaring at her more coldly than he intended. But he knew she was immune to it by now—his famous Hyuuga Neji glare—and true enough, she did not flinch, even matched him evenly with an equally venomous stare.

"You have got to stop this nonsense right now!" she all but wailed, clasping her crutch tighter. "You're the more mature one, right? This whole challenge, this is so pointless! Please do not tell me you're seriously going to fight Lee over nothing!"

"I'm a man of my word, Tenten," he replied, daring her to disagree.

The kunoichi wrinkled her nose in a sour expression. "Man of my word my ass," she snapped. "You're just as pigheaded as Lee is!"

Neji smirked at this; the discussion was obviously over, whether she liked it or not.

When she realized there was no point trying to convince him either, she exhaled loudly and pointed an angry finger at him. "Fine!" she yelled. "Go beat each other up for all I care! Just don't expect me to drag your sorry asses to the hospital once you're both comatosed on the ground!"

She pivoted, effectively turning her back against him, muttering something like "Where the hell is Gai when you need him?" before she lost her balance and started titling to her right, waving her free hand wildly in attempt to regain her balance.

Neji immediately caught her, wrapping an arm around her waist until she gained steady footing. They stood still for a few seconds, before she slowly, painfully detached herself away from him. "You're both idiots," she whispered, taking a step back.

"Maybe we are," he answered simply, and she raised her head and looked at him again, but the glare was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was a hint of sadness reflected in her eyes, something he realized he didn't like seeing on her face.

"Can you believe that guy?" she then whispered, and Neji watched as her eyes shifted from him to the shinobi a few feet away, still kicking the training pole with utmost fervor. "Here I was, ready to move on, and he does something as ridiculous as this." She sighed, and something in Neji's chest ached. "I'd personally strangle him if it didn't hurt so much."

Neji knew she was not talking about her injured foot.

"When this is over," he murmured, forcing her to look back at him, "Whatever the result is, we'll talk." His tone made it clear that it was not up for discussion.

She nodded slowly, and there was something in her eyes that he could not read, something that unsettled him, ruffled his insides that for a split second, he found that he could not breathe. And then she was reaching out to him, but her hand suddenly froze midway, and his mind flashed back to a couple of weeks ago, when he had tried to hold her but stopped halfway, and the stirring in his chest suddenly increased tenfold.

He lifted his arm to hold her just as she started to pull away, but a firm grip suddenly held him in place, and he turned to his left and found Lee looking at him gravely, the Green Beast's hand clamped tightly around his wrist.

"Neji," Lee's voice was that of steel, "I will request of you to not hold our teammate in an intimate manner until we settle this matter."

His face hardened, and he almost did not hear his female best friend screech in response. "Lee! The hell!"

The taijutsu expert turned to her. "I meant what I said, Tenten. From now on, I will protect your honor, even from Neji."

The prodigy found it unsettling that Lee was not spouting litanies about youth and blossoming flowers.

"Let's get this over with then," he said, flicking his wrist away from his challenger.

He turned and walked toward the center of the clearing, and he heard Lee follow suit. Stopping in the middle of the field, the two faced each other, and in his peripheral version he saw his best friend wobble toward the nearest tree, awkwardly leaning against its trunk, her stance tense.

"Ready?" he asked his opponent, and Lee answered him by taking his usual fighting stance—right arm forward, palm upward, left arm crossed behind his back.

Neji nodded, extending his left arm forward, his palm facing forward, his right arm pulled back, palm facing down. He shifted his left leg forward and bent his knees, preparing himself for the upcoming attack.

"Here I come!" Lee suddenly yelled, and suddenly Neji was blocking arms and legs left and right, dodging kicks and punches to his head, chest, and shoulders. He placed a palm against the ground and pulled himself up, spinning deftly just in time to avoid getting kicked in the face by Lee's foot. He ducked next, then jumped again, and rolled once away from a well-aimed fist.

Lee suddenly stopped and jumped back, frowning. "That's enough of a warm-up," he said, and suddenly his weights were off, and somewhere to their left, he heard the kunoichi gasp.

And Lee was upon him again, kicking and spinning and throwing punches and uppercuts, and Neji had to double his efforts to not get hit—he knew from experience of a drunk Lee that it was not a pleasant thing to be at the receiving end of one of those punches.

Finally, the taijutsu master paused for half a second—a foolish move—and Neji started with his offense.

Palms and fingers rushed forward in different directions, intent on hitting chakra points and vital organs. Lee dodged all, throwing one or two kicks in retaliation before being bombarded with attacks from Neji again.

Minutes more and they stopped, neither left unscathed. Neji wiped the blood running down his lower lip from a kick he received from Lee, while Lee gripped his shoulder, where Neji had managed to not only to close his chakra points, but dislocate a joint as well.

And then Lee was crossing his arms, and Neji tensed as he recognized the stance. He heard their female friend suddenly screech somewhere to their left. "Lee! Don't!"

But the Green Beast's body had already begun to release steam, and they locked eyes—prodigy and genius of hard work— just as Lee said, "This is a technique I mastered so I could defeat you, Neji. Are you ready?"

"Lee, no!" The kunoichi was still screaming. "Gai said you cannot use that!"

"Tenten," the taijutsu master replied, very calmly, given the circumstances. "This technique is for protecting people important to me. That includes you."

Something in Neji snapped at Lee's words—was he insinuating that Tenten was _not_ important to him?

"B-but . . . " He heard her voice waver, and the crack in his chest widened. He barely realized he had taken the stance to perform the kaiten.

"Let's go," he said then, and Lee nodded vigorously, teeth suddenly pinging perfectly, and _damn him_, smiling like that, like things would still be the same after this.

"Fifth Gate: Gate of Limit—Open!"

"Lee! No!"

"Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!"

"Neji! Stop!"

And then Lee was attacking, speed triple than his first, and Neji was spinning twice as quickly as before, and Tenten screamed and screamed for them to stop, _stop this madness! I don't want you guys to kill each other, you fools!_

And then, as quickly as it started, the duel was over.

Neji found himself on top of Lee, left hand pinning his right arm down, right fist—not palm, not fingers to close chakra points—but _fist_, poised down to strike his best friend's already battered face. Lee's free hand was closed around Neji's throat, aimed at crushing his throat.

He suddenly realized that it was only Tenten's frantic yelling that was stopping them from beating each other up more than they should.

Lee, right eye bleeding and half-closed, mustered what was left of his strength and offered him a weak smile. "You know Neji, I think I'm okay with you and Tenten not ending up together after all."

It was then that Neji remembered another conversation from what seemed such a long time ago. He wanted to laugh at how their roles had reversed without him even realizing it.

"Are you in love with Tenten?"

He watched as Lee shook his head slowly, regretfully. "No."

"But you feel something for her."

A short pause, and then, "Yes."

And suddenly he felt spent, as if he had lost the duel, when technically, he was winning just mere seconds ago—or was it a tie? He did not know, didn't care anymore.

Slowly, Neji dropped his arm to his side and pulled himself away from his teammate. And suddenly there was Tenten, crutch thrown carelessly away, and she was kneeling beside him, but she was looking at Lee, not him, and the cracks in his heart finally gave way and he could have sworn he heard it shatter into a million pieces.

"Baka, baka, baka!" she wailed, but there were no tears—no, Tenten was not suited for tears—and he tried to stand, to give them privacy—because he realized that he had, in fact, lost, after all—only to realize that he couldn't really move, and then he was suddenly falling, falling, but Tenten was there, Tenten was catching him, Tenten was hugging him, hugging him with Lee—and they became a tangled mess of aching flesh and bones and sweat—and everything hurt everywhere and he wanted nothing more but to leave, to be alone, but he has no strength left to push her, them, away.

And then she was whispering in his ear, so softly he was not sure if Lee could hear, but he knew it was for him, just for him, not for his beat-up friend locked in her other arm.

"Don't. Just _stay_, damn it. Please." And Neji remembered a flash of pink, the scent of antiseptic, whitewashed walls, and warm arms around his shaking body.

And he found himself wrapping an arm around her waist, finally allowing her to hold him, hold _them_, and he whispered back, "I'm not going anywhere. Not anymore."

_**End of Chapter Thirteen**_

* * *

_**Useless trivia #1:**_

As I was happily typing away this chapter, I got distracted by the sight of fried fish and coffee crumble ice cream on our dining table. Moments later and I was munching on both fish and ice cream, pausing in the middle of Neji and Lee's battle. A disgusting combination, but there you go. Made me feel like Orihime from _Bleach, _truth be told.

_**Useless trivia #2:**_

I suck at writing fight scenes.

_**Useless trivia #3:**_

Did you guys notice that this is the first Neji chapter where Tenten's name was mentioned apart from dialogue? And that it started appearing somewhere in the middle of the chapter, after an important line? Tee hee. I can see some of you going back the Neji chapters now, neh. Muahahahahaha.

(Unless of course I totally messed up and mistakenly planted one in the previous ones. Yikes.)

_**Announcement #1:**_

I just received an editing project which I need to finish by the end of the month (300-plus pages, yikes) so I'm afraid I won't be able to post a new chapter until the first week of March the soonest. Please don't send trolls to threaten me while I'm gone. Pretty please, with marshmallow on top?

_**Announcement #2:**_

Typos and subject-verb agreement problems will be dealt with as soon as I'm coherent again.

* * *

**Anyway, you guys, wow. Just wow. All the reviews I received, and all the PMs. Just, you guys are the best. I love you all. Seriously. I now have 145 reviews, just short of 150, and really, I owe them all to you.**

**If it was possible for me to give each and every one of you a physical hug and a box of cookies to show my appreciation, I would. But alas, most of you probably live half (or quarter) a world away from me. So I can only express my thanks by trying to write better chapters, and well, showering everyone with virtual marshmallows. **

**So again, reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to, wait, I used up all my marshmallows giving them away!**


	14. Gai 2

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Fourteen**_

**Gai**

Maito Gai found his students on their usual training grounds, hours after had he started looking for them.

Tenten's back was what he saw first—twin buns and her white Chinese top, hunched forward in a very unyouthful way—and only after he made a mental note to reprove her for her slack of posture did he notice the two boys on either side of the kunoichi.

Both Neji and Lee were using Tenten's thighs to pillow their heads, so Gai could not really see their faces, but their posture told him so much more than what he needed to know. The Hyuuga prodigy was to Tenten's right, lying on his back, right leg bent, knee pointing upward, as if he was not sure whether it was appropriate to feel comfortable in such a suggestive position. His left arm reached upward, and Gai suspected that his hand was pressed against his forehead, or at least, somewhere near it. Lee, on the other hand, was lying on his side, his back turned away from Gai as well, and he was in a fetal position—both knees curled inward, arms tucked in—and Gai was sure that he was having trouble breathing. Gai then saw that Tenten's left hand was resting on Lee's left hip, as if very subtly trying to keep the taijutsu master in place. He could not see the kunoichi's other hand, but now he imagined that it must have been curled against Neji's, thus explaining why the prodigy's left hand was not visible from where he was standing.

For a second Gai was overwhelmed with so much joy at the youthful display of his wards, that he almost lunged at them to join them in their obvious bonding time. But he suddenly remembered why he was looking for them in the first place, and it took all of his will power not to burst into tears at the opportunity lost to him.

Finally resigning himself to poor timing—he wanted to bond with his youthful students and brag to Kakashi about it later!—he took a step forward, right foot crunching on dried leaves, a delicate warning that the three were no longer alone.

It was Tenten who turned to look at him, and Gai saw that she looked very distraught, no matter that there was the most beautiful smile on her face.

"You found us, Gai-sensei."

Gai's heart almost broke in his chest at the weapons mistress's words. There was so much sadness in her voice, it obviously dampened the ambiance that surrounded them!

"My youthful students!" he called then, trying to bring sunshine and rainbows in the field with his grin. "I have been looking everywhere for all of you!"

He heard a snort, followed by a "You'd think he'd try the training grounds first," in a baritone murmur.

"Hush, Neji," Tenten chastised, and Gai saw her right arm move, as if in the act of stoking the Hyuuga's scalp. "Gai isn't really known for his common sense, remember?"

Movement to Tenten's left stole Gai's attention and stopped him from crying over the callousness of his charges. He heard a soft "Gai-sensei is the best sensei in the entire world!", less boisterous than usual.

Then Tenten's left hand lifted slightly and patted Lee's hip, as if calming a child. "Yes, yes, Lee," she whispered. "But that doesn't the change the fact that he's not very smart."

Only then did the kunoichi turn to him once again, offering him a small grin. "Sorry, sensei," she said, and Gai's heart constricted at the tone of Tenten's voice. "Just being honest, that's all." And before he could respond, Tenten continued, "Why were you looking for us, sensei?"

Gai decided to forgive them their insults for the time being—like he did countless times before—and nodded somberly at Neji's direction. "I ran into Hotaru-san earlier. He said Neji is needed back in the Hyuuga compound immediately."

At the mention of his relative's name, Neji stiffened, and suddenly Tenten's hand was on his chest, as if trying to calm his heart.

"Did he say why, sensei?"

Gai was not very certain why it was Tenten who was doing all the talking, when it was usually Lee who could not keep his mouth close enough for anyone else—well, except for him, maybe—to get in a few words. But the younger Konoha Beast made no show of curiosity, and Neji's only visible response aside from the stiffening of his body was to place his left hand on top of Tenten's, letting both their hands rest on his chest.

"He did not say, only that the matter is very urgent."

He waited for a reaction, anything, and it took a couple more seconds before Neji deemed it proper to respond.

"I understand."

And suddenly he was up, and only then did Gai get a good look at him—how his face was bruised in all the wrong places, how his white Hyuuga robes were caked with brown (was that soil or dried blood?), how his hair was dishelved from lying down for too long a time.

"What happened here?" Gai suddenly asked, voice snapping in a way that none of his students were used to.

Only Tenten openly flinched, as Neji regarded him with cold, indifferent eyes, and Lee stirred and slowly pulled himself up in a sitting position, with the kunoichi quick to offer a lending hand to steady him.

"I defended Tenten's honor against Neji, Gai-sensei!" Lee grinned, offering his sensei a Good Guy pose, except that Gai noticed how beaten up his face was, and how low on chakra reserves he was, and he couldn't help but growl, "Lee, did you open your gates?!"

"I did, sensei!" Lee's grin did not disappear, but Gai could see how troubled he was, as reflected in his eyes, no matter how half-lidded they were.

Before Gai could give a lecture about the foolishness of opening the gates in non-life-or-death situations, Tenten was quick to intervene. "Sensei, can you bring Lee to the hospital? I think his ribs cracked again. I'd bring him myself, but it's hard to drag him along while in crutches."

Only then did Gai remember that Tenten was injured too, and he mentally scolded himself for not paying more attention to their youthful flower's state of health.

"All right then," Gai answered. "Go home, Tenten. I trust you don't need any immediate attention, Neji?"

"The Hyuuga infirmary can take care of my wounds," was the only answer he got.

"Good." Suddenly he was all business, and quickly he pulled Lee up and propped him against his back for a piggyback ride. "I'll drop Lee to the hospital, then I'll come visit you at home," he said to the only girl in the field, and he felt no satisfaction when he saw how Tenten's face paled, or how Neji instinctively stood in front of her, as if she needed protecting even from Gai himself.

* * *

Gai was near to breaking down Tenten's door when he had knocked for close to ten minutes and still the kunoichi wouldn't open it.

"I know you're in there, my youthful student!" he boomed, not minding the strange looks he was getting from Tenten's neighbors. "Why won't you let your dashing sensei in when he has come a long way to visit you?"

"Maybe because I'm not in there yet?"

An irate question caused Gai to turn around, just in time to see his blossoming flower step up behind him, left side supported by a crutch, her right hand on her hip.

"My beautiful flower!" he cried, and scampered to help her walk, only to have Tenten raise a hand between them, indicating that he should stop. He paused, a few inches away from her, and drew back his outstretched arms. "I told you to go home immediately! You should be resting, especially in your delicate state! Your petals of youth will wilt if you overwork yourself!"

Tenten rolled her eyed and wobbled past him. "I did. It's not my fault that you ran faster than I could drag myself here, given my sorry state."

"I'm sorry, my youthful blossom!" Gai cried once again. "I did not take into consideration that you are hurting as well! I should have carried you along with Lee and brought you to the hospital too!"

Tenten glared at him once more, as if telling him _don't you dare,_ before clicking the door open and walking in her humble abode. Gai followed, a spring in every step, because it wasn't everyday that Tenten let him enter her apartment, especially without Neji or Lee to serve as a buffer between them.

Minutes more and they were both seated in her small living room, after Gai had fussed and fussed over the injured Tenten, which resulted to several kunais thrown haphazardly in his direction.

And then, the million-yen question: "How are you feeling, Tenten?"

The kunoichi in question snorted. "Now you're asking me?"

Gai shook his head and wagged a finger at his student, as if chastising her.

"Tenten, I know it seems that I do not give you as much attention as I do Lee or Neji, but don't think that I do not care about you. I simply believe that between you three, you are the most capable of taking care of yourself!"

Tenten rolled her eyes and eased her back against her couch, trying to look for a more comfortable position. Gai moved to help, but settled back in his chair when the kunoichi threw him a deadly glare.

When she finally found an appropriate slouch to accommodate her aching heel, she asked, very calmly, "So did Lee tell you what happened?"

Gai nodded, grinning at his ward in a most youthful manner.

"He said that he challenged Neji in a duel because he cares for you."

"And that's it? You're okay with just that? No explanation whatever?" Incredulity laced Tenten's voice, and Gai figured it was up to him to set things straight.

"Lee has always cared for you, Tenten. That is good enough for me. It should be good enough for you too."

He was answered by a snort, and a low murmur, somewhere along the lines of "Fat chance of that happening," a little too bitter for his taste. Gai considered breaking his silent vow of not meddling with his students' affairs just this once, but before he could say another word, Tenten deemed it just the right time to pose a question herself.

"Hey Gai-sensei, can you keep a secret?"

Teeth pinged in the most absurd manner, but Gai was too pleased with the fact that his blossoming flower was willing to trust him with something, anything.

"Of course!"

A long pause, and then, "I think I'm turning into the kind of person I hate the most."

The grin disappeared from Gai's face, and suddenly he was all serious and very father-like. "Which is?"

Another pause. "Weak."

Gai was not sure if he should feel scandalized. "I have never thought of you as weak, my beautiful student!"

"Like I said, you're not exactly the smartest person I know, sensei."

Gai did not have time to be offended—not that he would, he knew Tenten was merely humoring him, right? Right?—because suddenly, Tenten was talking nonstop, as if pouring out her heart into the air, as if she forgot that he was still there, listening.

"Lee, I've been infatuated with him for so long it's become a habit, so even when I want to stop, I don't really know how. But he is smitten by Sakura, so what's the point, really?" A shaky chuckle. "And Neji, I never really looked at him that way, not like I did Lee. But he is getting married next week, and I don't think I want him to. I don't think I can take it, seeing him marry someone else."

Tenten paused, and for a split second Gai panicked, thinking she might start crying. He was not really sure how to comfort a crying Tenten—he could count in one hand the number of times he'd seen her cry, and all of them were because of physical pain. He was sure it would not be the same as comforting Lee, because at least with Lee what he saw was what he got, so open Lee was to his emotions. With Tenten, it was always more subtle, and Gai suspected that she was actually better in hiding her true feelings than the prodigy in their team.

Then, "I don't want Lee to end up with Sakura. And I don't want Neji to marry another girl."

And then Tenten was looking at him, her eyes glassy, but instead of crying, a strained chuckle escaped her lips.

"I'm so fucked up, aren't I, Gai-sensei?"

Gai was aghast.

"Tenten! It's very unyouthful to swear!"

But again it was as if his precious student forgot that he was there, because the next second she was looking away again, and Gai heard her whisper softly, as if to herself.

"I love them both so much, but I'm afraid. Afraid that because I'm weak, I'm going to end up losing both."

And for the first time in his life, Gai realized that perhaps, his students were no longer as youthful as he wished they would be forever.

_**End of Chapter Fourteen**_

* * *

**Because I fear The Happy Stalker's wrath, here is the next installment! I hope this is enough to pacify her and stop her from plotting bloody murder to my poor self.**

**Ehem.**

**Anywho, I gave up on editing for today; resuming tomorrow, hopefully. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Not so much fluff, but it gets things going, and meh, I kind of miss Gai. He's been MIA for far too long, don't you all think?**

**Oh, and kudos to FruitySmell for guessing whose POV this chapter is. Really, I'm now tempted to make this a guessing game, just for the heck of it, but it might be too problematic for everyone haha!**

**Also, shameless plugging time, but I uploaded a new oneshot, "13 Unmentionables," and I hope you guys find the time to check it out (if you haven't already). It has one-sided NejiHina (WHAT?! NEJIHINA?!) and TenLee, plus ShikaTen to spice things up. Oh, of course, NejiTen!**

**Anyway, thank you to everyone who have been patiently waiting for this next chapter. And to those who left a review (Senka Hitomi, Midnight Insomniac, eternalsmiles, nejiten fan, Hawky, FruitySmell, anthropomorphychan, steenta112, Sepsis, kimochichokimochi and mhakhernandez). I hope this was worth the wait.**

**Again, reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast oh-goody-marshmallows.**


	15. Hiashi

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Fifteen**_

**Hiashi**

Hyuuga Hiashi observed his nephew with perceptive, calculating eyes, as was expected of all Hyuugas young and old. They were, after all, one of the oldest clans in Konoha, and along with this distinction were several stigmas, including that of being cold, indifferent people.

It did not bother him in the least, because although protocol dictated that they remain reserved and noble in their actions, Hiashi, who was raised and groomed to be the next clan head, many decades ago, was already rather apathetic about many things that did not concern his clan. That his twin brother, Neji's late father Hizashi, displayed quite the opposite attitude as him—more carefree and willing to open up to people, especially during their younger years—only strengthened the elders' convictions then that he was the rightful heir.

Certainly, no one could fault Hiashi for being strict and by the book, as was required of him because he was the clan head.

That, of course, did not mean that he did not care about the welfare of his relatives, especially that of his immediate family. True, during Hinata's younger years he seemed cold toward her, and even went to the extreme of granting Hanabi the right to be heiress when she comes of age. After all, everyone had deemed the main family's older daughter weak and incompetent for leadership. Hiashi justified his actions with the reason that it would not do to lead the clan with weak resolve, especially not a clan as self-important and pompous as the Hyuuga. Hinata would not have lasted a week as clan head, given her mild-mannered ways. He was doing her a favor, he thought, by freeing her from a burden she simply was not strong enough to bear.

Years later and he was proved wrong by his own daughter, as she grew to be a strong but kindhearted woman. Hiashi saw the error in his decision and, because he was not as stubborn as non-Hyuugas thought, he accepted the facts and granted full rights to his eldest child, rights that she deserved. Hanabi was only very willing to step down as the heiress of the clan, and Hinata took her rightful place as the next in line for the position.

It was with this same line of reasoning that he faced his nephew, acclaimed prodigy and pride of their clan, and pondered on how he could balance his love for him and his duty to the rest of their family.

"Neji," he spoke, officially starting the meeting, willing the elders to settle down in their seats and heed his words.

"Hai, Hyuuga-sama," came the baritone response, deferential and stiff.

The meeting hall was occupied by him as clan head, two other elders, Neji, Hoheto, and Takuma. It was time for business, and all reminiscing and reflections would have to be postponed to a later hour, after they have settled the pressing issue at hand.

"The discussion regarding the incident that happened during your engagement party is scheduled tomorrow, to give you enough time to prepare an explanation for your actions."

Neji nodded stiffly, his shoulders tensing, as if he had a foreboding that something very bad was about to happen.

Hiashi could not fault his nephew for feeling that way.

"However, given the certain unexpected turn of events, I am afraid that we had to result to an emergency session right this moment."

The elders murmured to each other, and he gave them a level look, forcing them to remain silent. Steeling himself for his next words, he eyed Neji, then Hoheto and Takuma who were seated on either side of his nephew, and then Neji again.

And then, "Hyuuga Yumi is missing."

Neji stared at him, no indication of surprise on his face except for the slightest crinkling of the brows, and Hiashi wondered, briefly, if he should be proud of his nephew's display of control, or mourn the loss of his ability to show emotion, as has been the case with many of his relatives.

"Missing, Hyuuga-sama?"

Hiashi nodded gravely, willing himself to continue. It was not a pleasant subject, and he was not exactly thrilled to be the bearer of bad news.

"We received reports from her family that she could not be found in her quarters, or in any of the places she is confined to, during the past two days." When Neji did not show any sign of asking questions, Hiashi continued. "We suspect that she may have, as evidenced by several missing items in her wardrobe, run away."

Hiashi watched as Neji nodded slowly, as if trying to comprehend what was revealed to him. He could tell a different kind of emotion sparked behind his pale gray eyes, and Hiashi wondered what it was. Hope, perhaps? He almost did not want to say what he was supposed to say next, but duty came first, as was ingrained in his mind ever since his younger years.

"As her fiancé, it is your duty to find her and bring her back. Hoheto and Takuma will accompany you in your search. You will leave first thing tomorrow, and head for the Village of Sand. We have information that Yumi might be staying with . . . a friend."

If Hiashi was anyone else, he would have snickered at his choice of words. Instead, he finished with "This matter is of utmost secrecy, so I expect you not to mention it to anyone outside of our clan."

Whatever spark was in Neji's eyes just seconds ago was quickly dashed by Hiashi's words. The prodigy nodded, stiffly once again, and answered a muted "I understand."

Hiashi decided then that he hated being the bearer of bad news after all.

* * *

"Neji."

Hiashi watched as his nephew stop, five paces away from his room, and turn slowly to acknowledge his presence.

"Oji-sama."

He was pleased that Neji called him "Oji-sama" whenever they were out of the meeting hall. He preferred it to the more formal "Hyuuga-sama," but Hiashi knew it was required of everyone to give utmost respect to the clan head, especially in formal functions. To have Neji call him uncle when they were alone proved that their relationship was not as strained as it was years ago.

"Are you well enough to start with your search tomorrow?" For the first time since seeing him that afternoon, Hiashi chose to acknowledge the numerous bandages on Neji's arms, plus the many cuts and bruises on his face. He eyed the huge mark around his nephew's neck, and Hiashi was certain someone had tried to choke him only hours earlier for him to sport such a bruise. It did not slip his notice either that Neji walked with a limp, as if he had dislocated his knee, or perhaps sprained his ankle.

"I am, Oji-sama."

Hiashi nodded. Of course Neji would not show any weakness in front of him. He had not for years, and Hiashi was under no delusion that he would start now.

"Good."

They looked at each other for a few more seconds, before Neji made a move to retreat to his room once again, but not before the obligatory, "If there isn't anything else, then I will now . . ."

"One more thing, Neji." Hiashi did not quite let his nephew finish. "This issue with your teammate and your actions over the past month, as well as your scheduled wedding next week, I believe we can postpone its discussion until Yumi is found."

Relief replaced shock in Neji's features, and Hiashi thought it was at least some respite from the younger Hyuuga's obvious inner turmoil.

"Thank you, Oji-sama." And then Neji was bowing at him in gratitude, and Hiashi wished there was more he could do for him than simply giving him silent moral support.

"I do have a question I hope you will oblige to answer."

Neji paused and eyed him warily, which he quickly smothered with a deferential tilt of the head.

"Of course. What is it?"

"Tenten," Hiashi said, fondly at that, since he has known the weapons mistress from years back because of her friendship with his daughter and nephew—and he saw how Neji visibly stiffened at the mention of her name. "She means a lot to you, does she not?"

It took Neji a while before he could answer, but he answered in the affirmative nonetheless.

Hiashi nodded, almost thoughtful. "Your duty requires you to marry within the clan. But," he paused, eyeing his nephew as if in silent understanding of what he was going through, "it cannot force you to feel things you do not wish to feel, nor can it dictate which people you choose to keep in your heart."

Neji, as if in understanding, nodded silently. "She is . . . very important to me, Oji-sama."

Hiashi, as uncharacteristic of him, sighed. "Neji, I wish you had told me sooner of these . . . feelings_. _It would have been so much easier to find another way than forcing you to wed someone you cannot love."

His sudden revelation, of the possibility of preventing an arranged marriage for his nephew, made them both freeze in place. Gradually, Neji recovered himself, and, with regret lacing his voice, he answered, "I'm afraid I only became aware of these feelings when it was already too late."

Hiashi nodded, as if he himself was pained with the revelation. After all, it was uncommon for people in the Hyuuga clan to acknowledge their feelings for other people, especially those that were not part of their family. In that, his older daughter was an exception. And it seemed that his nephew was, as well.

"Do you feel for her?"

Uncle and nephew remained silent for a few moments, and Hiashi wondered if he had overstepped his bounds, if being clan head does not merit him the right to meddle with his subordinates' affairs. He was about to excuse himself, apologize for being sticking his nose in what was clearly not his business, when he saw Neji's features relax, as if he had just accepted his fate.

And then baritone voice responded, and Hiashi found his breath dying in his throat.

"I love her."

_**End of Chapter Fifteen**_

* * *

**Kekeke. Oh Neji, you hopeless romantic fool. To think you'd say something like that out loud, and in front of your uncle, of all people! Getting soft now, aren't we?**

**Er, anyway. The plot progresses! It's like the second act of a play, or the next arc of a manga (Ooh wouldn't it be cool to have this illustrated? Gosh, I need to start hunting down artists to bully.). And who would be the best narrator for something this important than a very important person, right? Right? Oh come on, guys, you can't expect to have Neji, Tenten, and Lee POVs all the time!**

**/coughs**

**Anyway, for some weird (and creepy reason), FruitySmell's inner fangirl guessed the next POV correctly, AGAIN. Seriously, I'm getting freaked out! Haha! You, my friend, need to stop using ESP on me. You will end up crazy, like my humble self.**

**But because of that, I want to propose a little game. The first person to guess correctly who the next POV is wins a oneshot from yours truly, for any (non-yaoi/yuri) pairing, any theme, within the Naruto universe. Only first guesses counts, and YES, I already have the next POV in mind (and NO, I will not cheat and change it when the guesses start coming in, dattebayo!). **

**Anyway (again), thank you to all who left wonderful, wonderful reviews, and lord and lady, I loved them all! I hope you liked this chapter, even without the usual fluff and all that shebang.**

**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows.**

**(Speaking of marshmallows, I just had hot chocolate mint drink with marshmallows this morning. I'm still giddy from the aftereffects. Wooot.)**


	16. Tenten 5

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

**Tenten**

Her first reaction, when she received the note Neji sent courtesy of a troubled Hinata, was pure, unadulterated fear. She did not even bother opening it, merely launched herself at the troubled heiress, demanding that she be informed what happened, why her best friend was sending her a note rather than meeting her personally in their usual training grounds, as was their routine.

Hinata visibly trembled, before hesitatingly telling her that her nii-san was sent on an important clan assignment, and Tenten understood from the tone of the younger kunoichi that the mission was of utmost confidentiality, and probably concerned Neji's fiancée.

Tenten's next reaction then was irrational jealousy. She tried to tell herself that she has no right, because she and Neji were not romantically involved. Still, she found herself subconsciously crumpling the piece of paper in her left fist, and only when Hinata made a strangled half-gasp did Tenten realize what she did.

When Hinata finally left her to her own devices—_please read the note, Tenten-san. Neji-nii-san went through a lot of trouble just so I could smuggle that out of the compound after he left—_Tenten took a deep breath, steeled her nerves, and opened the crumpled paper.

_I have to take care of some clan matters. We'll talk when I come back. Please wait for me._

Tenten felt an inexplicable urge to throw the note away. What did Neji expect her to do? How vague could he get anyway? Clan matters? Talk when he comes back? Wait? For how long? Was he expecting her to deal with Lee by herself, right after their stupid, stupid duel?

"Neji, you baka!" she hissed, even when she knew she should not blame him for his sudden departure. But she was frustrated, and there was this sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her something terrible just happened.

Suddenly feeling deflated, Tenten found herself kneeling in the middle of their training field, all irritation for her best friend gone in one swift breath. Staring at the note once again, she tried to find clues about his whereabouts, absentmindedly rubbing off the grains of sand that had somehow found their way mixed with the ink. Surely he left hints as to where he was going, right?

Fifteen minutes and a budding headache later, Tenten realized that Neji had, in fact, left her nothing. Nothing at all.

"Neji, you baka," she whispered, softly this time, as if something in her chest broke at the realization. "Where are you?"

* * *

Four days later, Tenten found herself free of crutches—finally!—and no word from her Hyuuga best friend. It made her crankier than usual, and the only thing that lifted her mood was the news that she was assigned to a mission, no matter that it was just a simple courier assignment to the Village of Sand.

Tenten sighed as she read the mission scroll for the third time, all too aware of the pounding in her head—and her door. She had managed to avoid Lee for four days, inventing convenient excuses not to meet him in their training grounds, but by the fifth day, she realized, as Lee was currently attempting to break down her front door, that she has finally run out of reasons not to see him.

"Tenten, my youthful flower!" Lee boomed outside, fist against her door. "I know you're in there! Let's celebrate our springtime of youth together! I have missed the sunshine you bring to my days!"

Grudgingly, the kunoichi placed down the scroll on her small side table and headed for the door, before the taijutsu expert started his usual nonsense about petals and confetti rainfall. Kami knows how embarrassed she already was from Gai's antics almost a week ago.

"Lee!" she growled, yanking the door open. "I swear, if you say another word about my springtime of youth I'll . . ."

Words died in her throat when she realized she was enveloped in a tight bear hug, more suffocating than the one she received from Gai in the hospital. Before she could recover, however, she found herself being dragged out of her house by an overly enthusiastic Lee, yelling something about the success of his mission and _don't worry about your apartment, Gai-sensei stayed to make sure no one defiles your precious furniture!_

_Gai is in my apartment? Alone?! _Tenten tried to free herself from her teammate's grip, worried for the sanity of her neighbors and the safety of her things, but Lee's hold on her was firm, though not forceful. "Lee!" she tried. "Let me go! We can't let Gai-sensei go through my stuff!"

"Tenten!" Lee reprimanded her, as they continued their trek up the path to the river. "Do you not trust our sensei to keep you confidence?"

"More like I'm worried he'd ruined it by going through my things!" Tenten tried pulling her arm from Lee's hold again, except by then she realized that Lee was no longer holding her, and that they were standing by the riverbank, a beautiful picnic greeting them.

"Wha—?"

She turned to Lee, and found him beaming with pride. "My dear flower!" he started. "I hereby invite you to a date!"

Tenten didn't think it was possible to be surprised anymore with Lee's antics, but she found herself shell shocked still.

"D-date?!" she stuttered—damn it, she does not stutter!—almost hysterically, which only became more hysterical when Lee suddenly produced a bouquet of roses from who knew where.

"And here, flowers for a beautiful flower such as yourself!" Lee beamed once more, before thrusting the bouquet to Tenten's arms.

Tenten stared down at the flowers incredulously, not sure if she should be flattered or annoyed. It was not a well-known fact that Tenten preferred carnations or chrysanthemums—roses were too girly for her tastes—but she thought that at least Lee, being with her for years, would have known about it. After all, Neji, she was sure, knew about it, and she was pretty certain Gai did too.

But the roses were lovely, fully opened buds with different shades of pink and red, each one smiling up at her in all their beauty. They were perfect, perfect for someone beautiful and feminine—like Haruno Sakura.

Something in her chest suddenly cracked.

"They're beautiful, aren't they? Right, right?" All too eagerly Lee suddenly pulled her toward the picnic blanket, yanking her down to sit beside him, before pushing her a bento box. "You love dumplings, right, Tenten?"

Tenten blinked and stared dumbly at the bento, only to realize that it was filled with syrup-coated anko dumplings, a Sakura favorite, no doubt. The cracks in her heart widened some more.

"I prefer sesame dumplings, Lee," she whispered, placing the bouquet and bento down.

"Oh."

Then suddenly everything was quiet, too quiet, and Tenten found herself studying her fingers, splayed across her lap, instead of meeting her first love's eyes.

"Tenten, I'm so—"

The kunoichi quickly shook her head and lifted her head to offer Lee a strained smile. "Forget it, Lee," she said. She would not tell him he's forgiven, because they're friends, and friends do not lie to each other. Then, more softly, "Why the hell did you bring me here anyway?"

She watched as the taijutsu master shuffled uncomfortably in front of her. "Gai-sensei said I need to fix things with you," he confessed, rubbing his hands together nervously. "Because you've been avoiding me for days. He said you're upset that Neji and I fought, and . . . and . . ." Lee fidgeted, before blurting out, "He said you think I don't care about you!" And suddenly he lunged at her, gripping both her hands in his. "But I do! I care for you in a way that I cannot explain and it makes me guilty because I am only supposed to feel like this for my lovely Sakura-san!"

And Tenten felt her heart break, finally, for real, this time.

"Lee," she breathed, shakily. "Please . . . let me go."

The Konoha Green Beast shook his head, objecting vehemently. "Not until you tell me you forgive me!" His grip on her became tighter, but still laced with gentleness. "I am stupid and a fool, and my actions have been unyouthful lately, and for that I'm sorry! But I do care about you, Tenten! You cannot think that I do not!"

Tenten forced her tears back, because crying in front of Lee was something she did not relish on doing. Instead, she eyed him in all seriousness, face devoid of any mirth or humor. "Lee," she said, "how long have you been in love with Sakura?"

The taijutsu expert frowned. "Six years," he answered, and then, "But I don't see how my love for Sakura-san is part of—"

"Six years," Tenten nodded, a small smile finally gracing her lips. "That's how long I've been in love with you, _baka._"

Finally Lee's grip on her loosened, and Tenten took the opportunity to pull her hands away. "I never wanted to tell you, honestly," she chirped, because if she didn't, she would surely break into tears. "Because I promised myself that the moment I do, I'll move on from you for real."

Tenten grinned, but her eyes started to sting. "I can't forgive you yet, Lee," she said, and she meant it too. "You're my best friend, so of course I'll forgive you soon. But I can't, not right now. I'm so tired of this," she waved her left arm around for emphasis, "and you even prepared the perfect picnic that someone like Sakura would love, but I won't."

And then she was leaning forward, and she pressed her lips against Lee's left cheek before she lost all courage. She stood up then, as Lee remained frozen on the spot, eyes blinking in surprise.

"I'll be leaving for a mission this afternoon," she ended, offering one final smile. "Let's meet with Neji when I get back, okay?" When Lee suddenly turned to her with a hopeful expression, she took a step back and started forming a set of hand seals.

"For training, of course." And with a puff of smoke, she disappeared.

Her heart remained broken in her chest, even as she literally kicked Gai out of her apartment, five minutes later.

_**End of Chapter Sixteen**_

* * *

**The cogwheels are slowly turning, aren't they? **

**Anyway. When I said two chapters ago that making people guess the next POV will be problematic for everyone, I didn't expect it would be so very amusing as well. Haha! But, among the twenty-plus new reviews I got (or at least I think it's twenty-plus?), only two actually guessed it right! So, while I'm feeling generous, I hereby declare both Ichigo-chan and Senka Hitomi both eligible for a one-shot request (only if you're up for it, of course). Congratulations, woot! (Of course, if I missed anyone, feel free to smack me senseless as an apology. I'll throw in a one-shot as well.)**

**And seriously, you guys, the guesses! From the usual suspects (Lee, I think, is the most popular guess), to the most insane (Someone guessed Hizashi! Really?!), I loved them all. Some made me laugh out loud, like, literally! I really, really enjoyed the reviews I received last chapter. And I'm sorry I haven't replied individually yet (had a CRAZY week in the office, yeah), but I'll try to fulfill my duties before the weekend is over, mmkay?**

**Next chapter is Lee, and the one after that is a guest (tee hee, you can all try and guess it, though I'm not sure how many of you would guess it correctly), and the next after that is, well, I don't want to spoil you guys that far, right? Right?**

**So again, reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows.**


	17. Lee 4

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

**Lee**

Lee was not sure how long he had been sitting there, hand pressed against the left side of his face, but he was certain that he could still feel Tenten's lips as they grazed his cheek lightly before she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

He was still in that position, muscles not moving an inch, when his lovely Sakura-san suddenly popped in his peripheral vision, waving a hand worriedly in front of him.

"Sakura-san?" he said slowly, as if coming out of a trance. "What are you doing here?" Lee could not understand why his heart did not do the usual thump-a-thump-thump whenever the medic-nin was at least ten feet away from him, but he guessed it had something to do with his best friend's unexpected confession earlier.

"I've been trying to call your attention for the past five minutes," Sakura-san huffed. "Are you okay, Lee-san?"

Lee watched as emerald-green eyes traveled down to the bouquet on the picnic blanket, shining in appreciation over the beautiful roses. Acting on instinct, Lee quickly picked up the bouquet and thrust it forward to Sakura's face.

"Roses for a beautiful flower!" he boomed, but bowed his head down, unable to meet the pink-haired kunoichi in the eye.

"For me?" Lee heard the surprise in Sakura-san's voice, as if it were the first time he had offered her flowers. But he had given her countless of them, or at least tried to, before either Naruto-kun playfully whisks them away or Sakura-san politely accepts them (only to put them down somewhere to be forgotten, as if Lee couldn't see).

An image of Tenten placing the bouquet down flashed before his eyes, and Lee gripped the flowers more tightly, suddenly wishing he could take it back, his offer to Sakura-san (and everything else he has done for the past six years).

But Sakura-san was already reaching out for the bouquet, and with a breathless "They're beautiful, thank you, Lee-kun," took the flowers from his grasp and hugged them close. "I really love them."

Lee wished, prayed, that he would feel elated at Sakura-san's reply, but he only felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, like he had betrayed Tenten somehow, and Sakura-san besides.

How could he have not known that Tenten was in love with _him_? And to think he had tried desperately to have her end up with Neji! What kind of friend was he? Did Tenten hate, really hate, him now?

"Lee-san?" Sakura-san's voice snapped him out of his musings a second time, and he found that she was cradling the bento box of anko dumplings in her right palm. "Can I have some? These are my favorite."

"Of course!" the Konoha Green Beast answered, too eagerly, never mind that he inwardly winced when he remembered that Tenten loved sesame dumplings, and that it was the medic-nin who favored the anko variety.

How could he have mixed up the two?

"Great!" Sakura chirped, before taking a bite into a dumpling, sighing dreamily over it. Lee watched the kunoichi eat silently, and his face softened, because he realized he had been in love with her for so long, he didn't think it was possible for him to fall out of love with her, even in his current confused state.

Then a question suddenly popped in his muddled brain, and so he blurted out, "How did you find me, Sakura-san?"

"Hmm?" the kunoichi asked, taking another bite. Chewing thoughtfully, she swallowed (ladylike, unlike Tenten, but Tenten had never been ladylike, or has she, and he just failed to notice?) and answered, "Oh, I saw Tenten on my way home from the hospital. She said you wanted to see me and that you're here, so I decided to pass by."

A cold knot twisted in Lee's gut, and suddenly he was bawling like a baby, prostrating himself on the ground and asking, begging, for Sakura-san's forgiveness (and maybe Tenten's as well, because how could she be so selfless when he had been so selfish?).

"L-lee-san?" Sakura, obviously surprised, stammered. "W-what are you . . . why are you apologizing?"

Lee sobbed a little more, before straightening himself up and wiping tears (and snot) against his spandex suit.

"I have been unfaithful to you, my lovely Sakura-san!" he confessed, sniffing and getting teary-eyed once again. "I think I am starting to have feelings for Tenten, when I promised you that I will love no one else but you until my last dying breath!"

And suddenly it was quiet, too quiet, that the knot in Lee's stomach tightened all the more.

A kind sigh, and Lee watched as the pink-haired kunoichi smiled at him, hands no longer holding the bento box but reaching for his face. "Lee-san," she whispered, her face inching closer. "You're so impossible, you know that?"

And then Lee found his lips pressed messily against Sakura-san's, and he tasted syrup-coated anko dumplings, but wished, for a fraction of a second, before he allowed himself to be lost in the sensation of his lovely Sakura-san's lips, that he was tasting sesame dumplings instead.

_**End of Chapter Seventeen**_

* * *

**Ugh. This feels like a filler chapter more than anything else. /wrists**

**Next chapter will be a guest POV (no, I'm not saying who, but feel free to continue guessing), and will be set in, dun-dun-dun, Suna.**

**Kyaa.**

**Anyway, shameless plugging FTW, please check my new collection, "Rookie Roulette," and drop a line (or two) if possible.**

**Thank you for reviewing, people, and I'm sorry if this came later than promised. March has been a crazy month for me, and I'm afraid things will get crazier still.**

**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows.**


	18. Shikamaru

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Eighteen**_

**Shikamaru**

Missions with Tenten were far and in between, but Shikamaru was certain of one thing: He enjoyed each and every one of them.

The kunoichi of Team Gai was, after all, one of the select women whom he didn't find troublesome—compared to Ino, whom he loved like a brother would love an annoying kid sister (because she could be _very _annoying at times), or Temari, whom he admired (and okay, maybe was infatuated with) but who had such a strong personality, sometimes he got tired just _looking_ at her. No, Tenten was a breath of fresh air, someone who Shikamaru could have a decent conversation with, who did not blush madly every ten seconds, or threaten to hit his head for being so "pathetically lazy two-thirds of the time" (Ino's words, not his).

That was why when he was informed that Tenten was joining him for a quick stop in Suna (he for liaison's purposes and she to deliver barrel loads of specialty weapons she could conveniently store in one of her scrolls), Shikamaru found himself pleased, and maybe just a little excited about the assignment. After all, the last time they went to a mission together, Tenten had sealed a ship, not to mention hundreds of sharp, pointy weapons, without even breaking a sweat.

If Tenten did in this mission something as remotely interesting as she did back then, then Shikamaru was certain he just might consider this trip as one of his best assignments ever.

* * *

The trips to Suna's weapons storeroom and the Kazekage's tower were both uneventful, something that pleased Shikamaru very much. Except maybe for that little incident where Tenten fiddled around some of the more interesting weapons in the storeroom, to the room keeper's delight. Or that troublesome scene in the stairway leading up Gaara's office, where they ran across Temari, and said kunoichi offered him a cheeky grin, before commenting how he and Tenten looked _really _good together, much to Tenten's amusement and Shikamaru's irritation.

Shikamaru decided then that the mission was, in fact, one of the best he had in a long time. Never once did Tenten threaten to castrate him for walking in a slouch, or nag him for looking dreamily at the clouds rather than avoiding the street post that he had almost smacked into. No, the kunoichi was cordial and very polite, albeit a little gloomy, for some reason that Shikamaru did not want to ask. (He was grateful that Tenten did not offer to give him an explanation for her mood, or suddenly feel the need to confide with him her inner troubles, whatever they may be, because women's emotions was such a troublesome topic Shikamaru never really liked thinking about it.)

"I'm starving," Tenten chirped then, pulling Shikamaru out of his silent musings. "Come on. Let's grab a bite before we head off to our quarters. Kankuro mentioned that there's a new dimsum shop that opened near the marketplace."

Shikamaru was not sure when Tenten saw Gaara's older brother—as far as he knew, he and Tenten had been together since they arrived in Suna two hours past—but decided not to be inquisitive about it. Tenten did not seem to think it was an important enough topic to discuss anyway, and far it be for him to dampen the relaxed air that surrounded them both.

"All right," he answered, rubbing the back of his head in mock surrender. "I do owe you for not patronizing Temari, I guess."

Tenten laughed, a nice kind of laugh, sincere and tomboyish, without the pretense of being flirty or girly. Shikamaru decided he liked her laugh, and wouldn't really mind hearing it more often in the future, if he would be allowed to.

"She really likes you, you know," the kunoichi teased, but she did not seem to be ridiculing him, and for that, Shikamaru was grateful. Had it been Ino, he was sure her voice would be mocking, and maybe just a little jealous, like Temari was going to steal him away from Konoha the first chance she got.

Plus, the idea of Temari actually liking him back put Shikamaru in a better mood—not that he would say that out loud—that he managed to drawl a soft _che, _and followed it up with more rubbing of the head.

Tenten chuckled and grabbed hold of his arm, dragging him along, but for once, Shikamaru did not mind. If it were Ino, he would have muttered something about women being troublesome, which would result in more nagging, and more "women are troublesome" from him.

They stopped only when they stood in front of the dimsum shop, Tenten finally letting him go and grinning widely, as if proud of her accomplishment of forcing him to walk faster than his usual stride.

"Yosh!" the kunoichi said, pumping her fist in the air. "Let's stuff ourselves silly, neh?" And then, with a mischievous wink, "But don't tell Lee and Gai-sensei that I said 'yosh,' okay? They'll never let me live it down, and I swear I'll be sprinkled with candy and fairy dust until I die from too many happy thoughts!"

Shikamaru afforded a small grin, before following the bouncing kunoichi inside the establishment.

* * *

They were in the middle of a serious discussion about the possibility of combining Tenten's signature technique with his shadow binding jutsu, when a familiar face appeared at the entrance of the dimsum shop, arms around a Suna shinobi that Shikamaru was sure he had seen during one of his past visits in the village. He faltered mid-sentence as he tried to recall where he had seen the newcomer before, and it was all Tenten needed to glance back to where he was staring at.

"Oh, a civilian Hyuuga in Suna?" Tenten said, amused. "How very . . . unusual."

Shikamaru wanted to nod in agreement, except that he suddenly remembered where he had seen the girl before, if only very briefly. A hundred different scenarios began flashing in his genius of a mind, brain cells and nerve optics concocting numerous explanations as to why Hyuuga Yumi, Neji's fiancée, was in Suna, less than a week before their supposed wedding, and why she was hugging _another _man.

"Oh well," Tenten shrugged, before turning back to her food (Shikamaru briefly wondered why the kunoichi didn't appear to care, before he remembered that she was not there during the engagement party, and probably had no idea how Yumi looked like). "Anyway, as I was saying, I think my chakra strings will work great with your jutsu, the way you did it during your match with Kin back in the first Chunnin Exams."

Shikamaru paused to reply, except that another familiar face appeared—Hyuuga Hoheto, this time—and Shikamaru suddenly had a sinking feeling in his stomach that something bad was going to happen, and he and Tenten were smacked right in the middle of it all, a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

_How troublesome_, he managed to mutter under his breath, before he saw, rather than hear, Hoheto say, "Yumi-san," which was quickly followed by a soft gasp and a scraping of wooden chairs against wooden floor. Tenten swiftly turned to where the two Hyuugas were standing, and suddenly she was up, confusion evident all over her face.

"What—?"

Acting purely on instinct (because getting involved in matters of a clan as emotionally constipated as the Hyuugas was not in Shikamaru's priority list of things to do), he stood up, grabbed hold of Tenten's right wrist, and quickly pulled her away, dragging her behind one of the adjoining walls leading to the lavatory area.

"Shikama—?" Tenten was cut in mid-protest when Shikamaru suddenly covered her mouth with his palm and pressed her back against the wall, as he glanced warily at the confrontation between Hoheto and Yumi.

Only when Tenten stiffened under his grasp did Shikamaru recognize another presence behind them, chakra more familiar than the first two Hyuugas he saw, and suddenly his blood ran cold when he realized how intimate and suggestive and just plain _wrong _their positions might seem to other people. (It didn't help that he could feel Tenten's collarbone pressed against his forearm, or the fact that Tenten was clutching the front of his shirt in an attempt to push him off of her.)

"Unhand her this instant, Nara." And when Shikamaru failed to comply immediately, "That was _not_ a suggestion."

Finally dropping his hand from Tenten's mouth, Shikamaru slowly turned around, warily accepting his cursed luck, only to find Hyuuga Neji, byakugan on the ready, glaring furiously at him.

What was that about having the best assignment ever? Scratch that. This mission was the most troublesome of them all.

_**End of Chapter Eighteen**_

* * *

**And that is the extent of whatever ShikaTen there might be in this series. (Stop throwing sharp, pointy things at me, chavu and The Happy Stalker! Please!)**

**I'm surprised that nobody guessed this POV though. Or maybe I overdid it with the Suna hint, which made almost everyone guess that one of the Sand siblings will be the guest. But I think Shikamaru is the perfect POV for this situation (can you imagine his face when he realized his fate is sealed with Neji's wrath?), plus it's always fun to poke fun at the poor guy. And there's ShikaTema there, somewhere, right, right?**

**Anyway, I feel weird for posting such a short chapter last time so I decided to post this one as soon as I could. Now that I am feeling less guilty, I can finally rest a bit and post the next one next month. Yes, yes? Uh, guys? Please stop sharpening those kunais and katanas? It's not funny!**

**Cough. (Like a real cough. I'm down with the cold/cough virus. Ugh.)**

**So anyway, thank you for all you lovely people who reviewed, and I love the fact that half of you squealed at the SakuLee, and the other half wanted to smack Lee (or Sakura, or both).**

**Shameless plugging again, second oneshot in "Rookie Roulette" is up ("Man Enough"), so check it out if you have time.**

**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows. **


	19. Neji 4

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Nineteen**_

**Neji**

"I'm really angry with you right now."

He was expecting it, Tenten's easy admission of animosity, and he knew he deserved it, every bit of it. Still, he was relieved that she was talking to him, even let him in her room, when he had knocked quietly twenty seconds past, after he had come from a long and tiring _meeting _with his fiancée and her _friend,_ and his two Hyuuga companions.

The meeting had been anything but pleasant, but at least everyone present was civil to each other, or as civil as people could be given the circumstances. Neji knew more discussion would happen when they return to Konoha come the morrow, but he did not want to think about it yet, not when Tenten was standing in front of him, her brown hair in a single braid, her oversized wrinkled T-shirt falling off her right shoulder, her left hand planted on her hip in a manner that told him she was pissed as hell.

"I understand," Neji answered softly, attempting to close the gap between them by taking a step forward, but Tenten narrowed her eyes and he faltered mid-step, opting to stay in his place until he deemed it safe to move.

"Do you, now?" the kunoichi hissed, planting her right hand on her other hip, for added effect. "Do you even know why I'm angry with you?"

Neji knew the best way to deal with Tenten when she was _furious _was to remain quiet, and let her blow off steam by saying what she wanted to say. Past experience (courtesy of Lee) made him learn the value of silence when their female teammate was in one of her angry moods.

"First, you dueled with Lee, even when I pleaded, _pleaded!_, with you not to," Tenten continued after waiting for a few seconds, ticking off her fingers as she enumerated her reasons. "Then, you left the village without telling me, save for your stupid note that didn't have a single clue as to where you were going. Next, you mentally scarred Shikamaru for _life_. Finally," and then she paused, took a deep breath, and spat her next words with more venom, but with hidden affection as well. "You made me worried sick for the past week!"

Neji managed a small smile, knowing that it was now safe for him to respond, because Tenten's tone had shifted from _very _angry to _very, very _angry, which meant she was now willing to listen to him, and maybe forgive him for his mistakes.

"First, I accepted Lee's challenge because there are some things in life that are worth fighting for," he started, pleased when Tenten stiffened at his choice of words. "Then, I could not tell you that I had to leave because Oji-sama specifically told me to keep my assignment a secret, but I did leave a clue in my note, which you obviously missed," he continued, raising a hand when Tenten opened her mouth to protest (or probably give him a string of curses that the weapons mistress was infamous for). "Next, Shikamaru should have _not_ held you in that manner, especially not when I was in jyuuken distance." And then, smile widening, he took a step, glad that Tenten did not budge from where she was standing, "I apologize for making you worry about me, but thank you for your obvious concern for my well-being."

Tenten stood, mouth open agape, for a few seconds before she could move, and when she did, Neji no longer saw any trace of anger in her eyes.

And then the kunoichi was turning away, muttering something like _stupid prodigy_, before kicking the nearest wall lightly, and then promptly sitting down, leaning her back against the surface she had physically abused just a split second earlier.

Neji watched her for a couple more seconds, before he silently strode to where she was seated, and whispered a silent _may I?, _sitting down beside her when the kunoichi nodded her head in assent. They sat side by side, quiet, for a few more minutes, before Tenten broke the silence, as was customary.

"You can't tell me what happened, right?"

Neji shook his head, regretting that he could not. But he was bound by a promise to his uncle, and he was not the kind of person who broke promises.

Still, after a few seconds, "Do you want me to tell you?"

It was Tenten's turn to shake her head. "Not really," she whispered. "I know how much you give importance to your duty to your clan, and I would never ask you to turn your back against it just because I'm feeling nosey." A pause. "Besides, I already have my suspicions anyway."

They lapsed into a comfortable quiet once again, and Neji allowed himself to relax, to momentarily let go of all his burdens, because it was impossible not to feel safe, at ease, with Tenten by his side.

"But are you okay, Neji?"

The prodigy smiled. "Of course." Because he was, especially with the way things were going (or _not_ going) with his engagement. And how could he not be? _She _was beside him, and she accepted him for who he was, dysfunctional clan and all.

"Good," Tenten chirped, and followed it with a yawn, before leaning her head against Neji's shoulder. Their proximity calmed him, and before he knew it, he had reached for her hand and linked their fingers together, and then closed his eyes to bask in the quiet atmosphere of the room.

And then, all too suddenly, "I told him I'm in love with him."

Neji's eyes did not snap open; instead, he found himself blinking softly, as if woken gently by a caress. His fingers remained linked with Tenten's, but he could feel the warmth leaving his skin, chilling his bones.

Tenten chuckled, a little too sadly for Neji's tastes. "He took me out on a date, can you believe it? Well, actually, _dragged _would be a more appropriate word." And then she was straightening her spine, her head leaving the comforts of Neji's shoulder, and the Hyuuga watched as Tenten elbowed her right thigh and planted her right cheek on her palm.

"It was by the river, and he had a picnic blanket, food, everything. He even gave me a bouquet of roses," the kunoichi narrated, absentmindedly running her thumb against the back of Neji's hand. "It was perfect."

Neji noticed Tenten was not smiling.

"I hated it."

Neji mentally sighed. Lee had been stupid. How could he not know that Tenten _hated _roses? And a picnic by the river? It was not in their friend's nature to like cliché and romantic gestures, no matter how sincere the intention behind them was. Traditional romance was for women like Hinata-sama or Sakura, not Tenten.

The thought suddenly made Neji angry. That Lee, he must have designed the date with Sakura in mind!

"Anyway," Tenten murmured after a few seconds. "He tried to apologize for, well, a lot of things, and I just told him."

He did not want to ask, but he knew he has to. Because he needed to know if he really lost the fight, or if there was a miniscule chance that things would fall into place, the way he wanted them to. "What did he say?"

A chuckle. "Nothing. I ran away before he could respond." A pause. "I'm such a coward, am I not?"

Neji wanted to shake his head, assure her that what she did was not cowardice, but probably one of the bravest things she has ever done, because facing one hundred rouge nins was nothing compared with facing the possibility of rejection by someone you love.

But Tenten was not done talking, and it would be rude of him to interrupt. "I'm just so _tired _of this, Neji. I love him, Kami, I do, but I can't do this anymore." A deep, heartbroken sigh, and Neji found himself looking into hazelnut brown eyes, gleaming with unshed tears, because he knew Tenten would not, could not, cry, not in front of him, or anyone else, especially not over something like a broken heart. "I don't want to be in love with Lee anymore, Neji."

Gently, Neji raised his free hand and lightly brushed Tenten's left cheekbone, and the kunoichi chuckled weakly. "What are you wiping my face for?" she grinned, except that her eyes were not shining with mirth. "I'm not going to cry, you know."

The Hyuuga prodigy nodded. "I know," he whispered, but kept his palm on her cheek. "You never do."

They looked at each other silently for a couple more seconds, the only sound in the room their light breathing.

Finally, barely a whisper, Tenten asked, "Are you trying to kiss me again, Neji?"

The Hyuuga blinked. He was not trying anything, did not even think about it—unlike a week ago, when he most certainly had, before Lee had fortunately, or unfortunately, disturbed them—but now that Tenten mentioned it, he realized that _yes_, he would very much like to try to kiss her again.

But it was something he did not want to rush, or force Tenten into doing. She meant so much to him that using her, hurting her, was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Do you want me to?"

The kunoichi shook her head slowly, and Neji felt his heart drop to his stomach in disappointment. "You're engaged, and as much as I want to get over Lee, I'm still in love with him." A pause. "It would be unfair to both of us."

Neji's heart lurched back up his chest at Tenten's words. She was not rejecting him; she was being rational, _too_ rational again.

And right there and then, Neji made up his mind.

"You're right," he responded, inching his face closer to hers. "But do you want me to?"

Tenten leaned into his touch, and fixed brown eyes on him.

"Maybe?"

That was all the permission Neji needed to hear.

_**End of Chapter Nineteen**_

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**Useless trivia: Neji chapters always begin with Tenten lines. (I don't know how long I can keep that up though.)**

**So, I guess it's about the right time to announce that I am going on an indefinite hiatus for all my stories, because I've been really . . . **

**/starts ducking from flying pots, pans, and is that a vacuum cleaner coming toward me?!**

**OKAY, FINE, I WAS JOKING! **

**Sheesh, you violent people!**

**/coughs**

**Anyway, Tenten POV up next, and I promise you guys, it will be THE chapter that most of you have been waiting for.**

**I'm sorry I haven't replied to your reviews yet (the "I've been busy" card is overused, but it's really the only excuse I have), but I'll get to them over the long weekend, okay? In the meantime, thank you so much to everyone who read, reviewed, added me/this story to their lists, everything. It means a lot to me.**

**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows.**


	20. Tenten 6

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

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_**Chapter Twenty**_

**Tenten**

Kissing Neji was nothing she had ever expected, probably because up until that moment she never thought she'd end up kissing him _at all. _Even when he had come so close to doing it only a week past, had Lee not come to the rescue, Tenten's mind did not fully register the fact that her teammate for years, her best friend, would be interested in her enough to actually do _that._

Still, she had to admit it was an experience she was entirely unfamiliar with, and that made it all the more special. Neji's lips on hers felt _nice_, for lack of a better term, and it was warm and hesitant and very gentle.

It was also obvious that Neji had no idea what he was doing.

Not that Tenten was faring any better, but she guessed that was how first kisses go. She was not sure if she was Neji's first—he was far too desirable to the rest of the female population, that much Tenten was willing to admit—but given the fact that they had been in liplock for close to four seconds and neither had made any other move, Tenten could confidently assume that Neji, had, in fact, never kissed anyone else before.

The idea tickled her so much that she ended up laughing, effectively breaking their contact.

"Sorry," she chuckled, trying to smother her laughter as she pulled away, watching as a confused Neji eyed her incredulously. "You've never done this before, have you?"

The confusion disappeared from his face, and Neji gave her a soft smile, something that Tenten was truly grateful for. Her mouth usually got her in awkward situations because she was so blunt, but it didn't seem like the Hyuuga's ego was bruised with her words.

"I don't exactly do this on a regular basis."

Tenten grinned. "Ditto." And she would swear that Neji's smile softened even more at her admission. Maybe he was relieved that he was her first too?

They looked at each other silently then, content with their quiet breathing, with the comfortable atmosphere around them. Tenten felt Neji gently run his thumb across her palm, and it sent tiny shivers up her arm, something she welcomed and dreaded at the same time.

Finally, almost reluctantly, Tenten pulled her hand away, and asked, "This doesn't change a thing, does it?" At the first sign of Neji's creased eyebrows, she hurried, "You're still engaged to be married, and . . ."

Neji silenced her by holding both her hands. "I think," he started, hesitant only for a second, "I think I found a way not to get married to someone I don't love."

Tenten's eyes brightened at the announcement. "Really?" she squealed, completely forgetting how intimate they had been just minutes ago. The idea of Neji not being forced into an arranged marriage made her very happy, because it meant that her best friend would not be forced into another cage, not after he had worked so hard to escape the first one he had been in. "That's great news!" And then her eyes widened, and she pulled her hands away from him to cover her mouth. "Oh I'm sorry!" her muffled voice mumbled. "That was terrible of me."

Neji chuckled, and gently pulled her hands away from her mouth and enclosed them in his own again. "It's not," he whispered, and something in the way Neji said it made Tenten's heart do a backflip in her chest. "It _is_ great news."

Tenten nodded dumbly, noting how Neji's face was inching closer to hers once again. A question suddenly flashed in her mind, and it was as if all the pieces, everything, suddenly fell into place, that the picture in her little puzzle started unveiling, bit by bit, showing her things that had been blurry before.

And then, she whispered, just as Neji's lips ghosted over her mouth, "Neji, are you in love with me?"

The prodigy froze, mere millimeters from her, and for three painful seconds, they just stared at each other, unmoving. And then, slowly, he pulled away, and Tenten felt something choke her throat, as if she wanted to say something, but suddenly couldn't.

"Would you mind if I am?"

Something warm settled in Tenten's stomach, and she struggled to get her words across. "I . . . I don't know." And then she was gripping Neji's hands, stopping him from pulling away any further, because Neji deserved the truth, and she was going to give it to him, to hell with consequences.

"I'm really confused, because I know I'm in love with Lee, but I think, I think I have feelings for you that I can't identify. At least not yet." She gripped his hands tighter then, grateful that he appeared to be listening attentively instead of moving away. "All I know for sure is that I don't want to see you married to another girl."

And Neji's smile was all she saw before the Hyuuga closed the gap between them once again, right hand slipping behind her head to hold her still, left hand snaking at the small of her back to pull her closer. Tenten found herself holding the front of his shirt, shivering slightly when she felt Neji's lips move against her, tilting her head to give him better access.

Seconds passed, and Tenten breathed out a chuckle when Neji pulled away from her. "You're getting better at this."

The Hyuuga smirked. "You need more practice."

The kunoichi grinned impishly. "Oh I'm sure I can find willing practice partners when we get back to the village."

Neji's smirk transformed into a frown, and Tenten swallowed down a guffaw. "I'm kidding!" she laughed, hands sliding to his shoulders. "Sheesh, male ego, seriously!"

And then Neji cupped her face so that she was looking directly into his pale gray eyes. "It's not ego, Tenten," he whispered, planting a small, quick kiss on her lips.

It was then that Tenten understood. _Oh. _But because she was Tenten, she knew she would not be content with subtle confessions. Again, they have never been subtle with each other, and she couldn't see any reason why they should start now.

"You didn't answer my question, Neji."

The affection hidden behind pale gray eyes was answer enough, but Neji obliged her still.

"Yes."

Tenten had been expecting his answer, was certain it would be a yes rather than a no, but she was still unprepared for it when it finally came. "Oh," she managed to squeak, before she felt the warmth in her stomach spreading to her extremities, tingling her fingers and toes, prickling her skin. "Oh."

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Oh," Tenten repeated, suddenly pushing Neji away and standing from her position from the floor. She turned her back to him and walked to where her futon was, and then turned once again to face him, seeing that his eyes reflected confusion and maybe just a hint of disappointment?

"Neji," she breathed, her heart constricting because of what she was about to say next. "I can't let you kiss me anymore."

Tenten had expected Neji to be a little surprised, but she was not expecting him to suddenly stand and cross the distance between them in three long strides.

"Why?" he demanded, except that it wasn't laced with anger, but more of panic with a tinge of pleading.

Tenten shook her head and placed both hands on Neji's shoulders to keep him at bay. She knew how difficult it had been for him to confess his feelings, and she was grateful for it, really. But she had made her decision, and she was not going to back out of it just because Neji was in kissing distance once again.

"I'm still in love with Lee," she said, because lying to Neji was never an option, and the he deserved nothing but honesty, especially after he had risked so much of his pride to be honest to her. "And I will _not_ use you to get over him. I . . . you are too important to me, and," she almost choked on her next words, because she then realized, Kami, realized only then, "I _love_ you too much to do something like that." _I love him, damn it. Why am I realizing this only now?_

There, she had said it, and a shudder rippled in her chest. Suddenly losing her nerve, she tore her gaze away from him, finding her toes more interesting to look at. "If I were to kiss you again," she managed a bare whisper, "I'd want to do it because . . . because I'm in love with you too." Because she loved Neji, but she was not certain if she was in love with him.

Being in love and loving someone, they're two different things. She needed to be sure first lest she ended up hurting someone she cared about.

They stood in silence, Tenten preparing herself for Neji's accusing words, or resignation, anything. But what Neji replied caught her off guard still.

"I understand."

Lifting her head up, hopeful, she whispered, "You do?"

A nod, and Tenten felt relief wash over her, before she saw a small smirk forming at the corner of Neji's mouth.

"But I have one request."

Tenten nodded, willing to give him whatever he wanted, anything to make him feel better, anything to save their friendship, to make sure he wouldn't go.

"What is it?"

The smirk grew. "That thing about not kissing until you're sure you're in love with me," and Tenten was certain she saw Neji's eyes sparkle with mischief, "can we start with that tomorrow instead?"

Tenten chuckled and fought the urge to smack her best friend on the head. "Neji," she chastised.

But she wrapped her arms around his waist, and when Neji's smirk morphed into a more sincere smile, Tenten allowed him to kiss her again.

_**End of Chapter Twenty**_

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**Seriously, I think I deserve more than marshmallows for this chapter. I demand chocolate chip cookies and strawberry ice cream. Tee hee.**

**Anyway, in my estimate, I have around ten more chapters up my sleeve, so this series should be finished by Chapter Thirty, give or take one or two chapters. I have at least three more guest POVs too, including the one next chapter.**

**I hope this chapter makes up for that hiatus prank I pulled. It was cruel, sorry, but I won't lie and say I didn't enjoy your murderous threats, err, I mean, reactions. **

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and I know I sound like a broken record when I say this again and again, but I really, really, really appreciate all your encouraging words. Your support is what keeps me going, despite my crazy schedule. So keep them coming, and I'll try my best to give the most satisfying ending I can.**

**Shameless plugging, Rookie Roulette's thirdshot, "Androgyny," featuring Deidara and Tenten, is up. Please, please check it when you have a chance.**

**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows.**


	21. Temari

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

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_**Chapter Twenty-one**_

**Temari**

Temari hadn't been in Konoha in three months, because her liaison duties only require her to visit the hidden village of the leaf once every quarter of a year, now that they were living in peaceful times. And she had been looking forward to her next trip, not because she could meet up with a certain spiky-hair lazy shinobi—of course not—but because she enjoyed the change of scenery from sand to forest once in a while.

Right.

Still, she was not expecting that her next visit to Konoha would be to act as a liaison for a matter that did not concern the immediate safety of her own village—or maybe it did, but not in the usual, or most direct, way.

But Kazushi was a Sand shinobi, and a distant relative to boot, and Gaara had specifically assigned her to accompany the older shinobi and work things out with the Hyuuga clan, because it would not do to sever Suna's ties with Konoha just because a second cousin eloped with one of the prestigious clan's main family's members.

And so Temari found herself seated in the Hyuuga's main hall, three days after she and her entourage arrived in the village, to discuss the whole affair and the consequences of her cousin's actions.

"Inexcusable, simply inexcusable," a Hyuuga elder to the right of Hyuuga Hiashi said indignantly, pale gray eyes zeroing in on Kazushi, trying to impale him with a glare.

"We know Kazushi's actions have been dishonorable," Temari started, hoping that speaking up would divert the murderous stares away from her cousin and help everyone be civilized enough with each other to discuss the matter at hand. "That is why we have come here to express our sincerest apology, and try to make amends."

"A mere apology is not enough!" another elder boomed, anger in his voice evident. "And amends! What good will amends do? Your shinobi has disgraced one of our own. Nothing he or your inferior village do will ever take out that shame away!"

Temari forced herself to remain professional despite the insult. It was well known that the Hyuugas were infamous for their superiority complex, but she would deal with it, if it was the only way to resolve the problem. Gaara had entrusted this role to her. And she would not fail him, not as a subordinate, not as an older sister.

"We understand the damage that our shinobi has caused your clan," Temari answered formally, silently noting that the head, or the fiancé of the runaway girl, had not spoken a word as of yet. "And we are willing to do whatever it is necessary to . . . "

"I love Yumi," Kazushi suddenly spoke from behind her, and Temari quickly turned her head and glared at her cousin, quietly telling him to shut up if they ever hope to salvage what was left of the relationship between the two villages.

The older shinobi paid her no heed. "Hyuuga-sama," Kazushi said, respectfully, directing his statement to Hiashi, "I ask for forgiveness for my actions, but I beg of you, do not let Yumi marry someone she does not even know."

A soft sob echoed to Temari's left, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hyuuga Yumi covering her face with her hands, Neji, the prodigy of the Hyuuga clan, seated to her left, her father, face stern and formal, seated to her right.

"Insolence!" the first elder spat. "You do not speak out of turn, and you do not address our head directly unless he asks you a question!"

"That's enough," Hiashi's cool voice sent a sudden calm in the room, silencing even the hotheaded elder in his speech. Temari's respect for the clan head immediately went up a notch, for his professionalism and unquestionable authority over the other members of his extended family, older uncles and cousins included.

The Hyuuga head nodded at Kazushi, and continued, "I understand you and Yumi have your reasons for your actions, but she is a member of the main family, and she has a duty to fulfill, as she is already promised to be wed to her fiancé." A pause, and Temari could have sworn a flicker of remorse crossed the stoic clan head's eyes. "That being said, it will be a disgrace for us to allow this relationship to continue, not just for our clan as a whole, but more importantly, for her fiancé as well," he finished, nodding to Neji, who was still sitting to Yumi's left, stone-faced like before.

_Hoh, _Temari mused. The head was more caring than she had originally thought. It was obvious that he was concerned not only of the Hyuuga's reputation, but for his nephew's welfare as well. _Impressive._

"If I may speak, Hyuuga-sama?" the clan's prodigy finally spoke, turning everyone's attention to him.

Hiashi nodded. "You may."

Neji nodded, and Temari found herself holding her breath in anticipation of what he was going to say. After all, it was a well-known fact not only in Konoha, but in Suna as well, that the genius was not very liberal with his words.

"I hold great value to my duty to the clan, and since my adolescence I have sworn that I will fulfill it to the best of my abilities. I am certain Yumi feels the same way as I do." A pause, only to give way to another silent sob to his right. "That being said," another pause, as the prodigy seemed to look for the proper words to use, "I would like to appeal to end our arranged union, if only for the reason that forcing us to marry will be a detriment to the clan rather than a benefit."

A collection of indignant protests rose in the air, and Temari had to hide her smirk behind a subtle cough. _I like this guy, _she thought, inner self nodding in approval. _He has guts._

"Inexcusable!" the first elder yelled in a very un-Hyuuga fashion. Temari also noticed how limited his vocabulary was (Inexcusable? Insolent? What was his fetish with words that started with the letter _I_ anyway?), making her think that contrary to popular belief, not all Hyuugas were really as intelligent as other people expect them to be. "You are merely trying to come up with reasons to justify your illicit—" _Ah, there's that _I _again_—"affair with that inferior," _another _I, "talentless opportunist you have for a teammate!"

Temari, and the rest of the people in the room, froze. Not only because of the gravity of the accusation, but also because of the immediate reaction of the Hyuuga prodigy to the remark. The Sand kunoichi had to stop herself from going on automatic defense position, and she sensed Kazushi react the same way behind her. She would even dare say the rest of the people in the room felt the same way she and her cousin did.

And it wasn't as if Neji had suddenly stood up and taken a gentle fist stance. No, he had remained rooted on his spot—a now cowering Yumi beside him—but his byakugan was well in force, and such was his murderous intent that Temari was sure he would have given the Gaara of before a run for his money.

"I advise you to refrain from calling my friend in such manner in the future," came Neij's baritone, calm-sounding, but with an undertone of fury held back only with a self-control instilled on him since childhood.

The elder tried to open his mouth to give a retort, but Temari noted, with some satisfaction, that he could not utter a word in response, his shoulders quivering tensely at the open hostility Neji was giving him.

"That's enough," Hiashi's voice broke through the spell one more time, enforcing a strange calm over them all. "This matter will be discussed after our visitors have left," he said, shooting the elder a reprimanding stare. "I suggest we go back to the more important matter at hand," he finished, nodding once at Temari, quietly telling her that she has the floor once again, and that she was now allowed to make negotiations on behalf of her family.

Temari, quickly regaining her composure after Neji's display of antagonism, nodded. Smirking slightly at the thought of how lucky a certain bun-haired kunoichi was, she then proceeded to make the Kazekage, her younger brother, proud.

_**End of Chapter Twenty-one**_

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**Burp.**

**You guys, what lovely goodies you gave me last chapter! I am so stoked; I think I've had a wonderful case of sugar rush from all the treats you showered on me. Thank you!**

**Anyway, yes. Of course nobody saw that coming, right? Some of you expected Temari to be the POV during the Sand chapter, but I had to be sly and use her for this one as well. But I think an outside POV of a Hyuuga council is needed, and Temari seemed the right person for the job. That didn't mean that I had an easy time writing this chapter, because although I kind of like Temari, I could never get a proper grasp of her personality. I mean, sure, she's like this tough badass chick, but I refuse to believe that she's as flat a character as that. And that's why it took me a while to write this next installment (err, right, because the excuse of my pathetic real-life schedule is getting boring).**

**Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed and patiently waited for this next one. It's a bit of a downer after the fluffy/mushy last chapter, but it's a necessary chapter to keep the plot moving. Next chapter is from Gai's POV. Yosh, this will be youthful!**

**I haven't replied to any of your reviews yet (I am so sorry!), but I will get around to it . . . soon. And to the anonymous reviewers, I can't respond to you personally because you didn't leave contact information, but really, I appreciate your feedback and love and gooey marshmallows! **

**And to answer Ichigo-chan's question, it's more like, Tenten is **_**still**_** in love with Lee (that's a fact in the story, sorry) but she feels she loves Neji as well. She's not sure, though, if it's as much as what she feels for Lee, or if it's enough to openly reciprocate his feelings, because she knows she still has baggage from her unrequited affection for their bushy-browed friend. Ergh, did that make sense, or did I just confuse you more?**

**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows.**


	22. Gai 3

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty-two**_

**Gai**

Three months, two weeks, and one day after Neji had first announced his engagement with a member of the Main House, Gai found his little team in their usual training grounds, the tension between them so thick he could slice it off with a chakra-infused hand chop.

Gai briefly wondered if his original plan of running five hundred laps around the village will have to be postponed to discuss more pressing matters on hand, then quickly dismissed the thought, silently telling himself that five hundred laps was exactly what his students needed to dispel the bad air between them.

"My youthful students!" the taijutsu master boomed then, entering the field with a cartwheel (or two), effectively crashing into one of the kicking poles in the process. Half a second later he was up, a gleaming set of teeth pinging brightly and an enthusiastic thumbs-up thrust in front of his beloved team.

"How wonderful for all of you to be here this early to celebrate our springtime of youth together! To commemorate this event, we shall run five hundred . . . "

"I have something to say," Neji interrupted, cutting Gai's speech short, even before he got to the part about unicorns and sunsets. And he had practiced that speech the entire night!

But because he was Gai and Gai was always willing to listen to his wards, he asked, quite excitedly, "What is it, youthful genius of my team?"

If Neji found the title offensive or utterly ridiculous, he did not show it. Tenten though, Gai noticed, visibly chuckled at the new nickname. He made a mental note to use the term of endearment more often, since their youthful blossom seemed to like it very much.

The Hyuuga prodigy took a few seconds to say what was in his mind, and when he did, he said so with a certain kind of peace that Gai very rarely saw in Neji.

"I am no longer engaged."

Mixed feelings bubbled inside his chest, but it was nothing compared to how the lovely kunoichi in their team reacted.

Gai, in all his years spent with his little squad-slash-family, had always known that their youthful flower had avoided physical contact—consciously or subconsciously—as evidenced by her usual skirting away when Lee offered to carry her, piggyback style, whenever she lost too much charkra from missions, or subtly avoiding being smashed together when he and Lee did their usual hug fests. Maybe she wasn't completely aware of it, maybe even thought that Lee was purposefully not touching her, but it was really the other way around—Tenten had gone out of her way to make sure that she didn't touch Lee (or any other guy, for that matter).

So when the kunoichi suddenly lunged on Neji, her arms wrapping around his waist—Gai did not fail to notice how the prodigy's hands automatically found the small of Tenten's back—the older Green Beast was rather surprised.

"You did it!" Tenten cheered, clinging onto her teammate, unmindful of the two other shinobis on the field. "You actually did it!"

And then, as if suddenly remembering that they were not alone, Tenten pulled herself away—Gai saw a flash of disappointment cross Neji's face for a split-second—and immediately took a number of steps backward to distance herself from the prodigy. "I mean, uh, that's good news, right, Gai-sensei?"

If Tenten had directed her question to him in an attempt to divert the attention away from her slip . . . well, she most definitely succeeded.

"Yosh!" Gai boomed once more, teeth pinging once again. "This is definitely good news, my youthful students! And to celebrate, let's run five hundred laps around the village!"

Silence enveloped the clearing for half a minute, and Gai noticed that there were no affirmations of youth from his bushy-browed pupil.

"Actually," said shinobi said hesitatingly after a few more seconds, "is it okay if I skip training today, sensei?"

Three pairs of eyes turned to the taijutsu expert, who had been uncharacteristically quiet the entire time.

"Lee!" Gai scolded, shaking his head. "I'm disappointed in you! It is very unyouthful to abandon your teammates in this very important occasion!"

"I'm sorry Gai-sensei!" At least he was back with ending his sentences with exclamation marks. "I promised to meet Sakura-san for anko dumplings in half an hour!"

Gai froze in mid-reprimand. Never had Lee cancelled training for anything else—not even when he was sick and hospitalized—and now he was purposefully foregoing his favorite laps because he was going on a date?

Tears fell endlessly down his face, and when he heard a hesitant "Gai-sensei" from his student, he quickly wiped them away and flashed him a thumbs-up. "Lee! You are finally experiencing the power of youthful love! I am so proud of you!"

Lee's round eyes became watery with tears, and in another second they were both standing atop a shore of crashing waves, with seagulls flying in the background.

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai—" Only when Lee stopped in mid-yell did Gai come back to his senses, and both of them turned quickly to look at the remaining members of their team.

Neji appeared the same—indifferent eyes and lips a fine line—but Tenten was a different story altogether.

Gai had seen more than a handful of heartbroken people before, but nothing, absolutely nothing, could match up to the crestfallen face their pretty kunoichi was currently wearing.

"Ten—" Lee started, instantly sobering up, before Neji cut him off with a death glare. The taijutsu expert opened his mouth once again, but found himself unable to speak.

Silence reigned once again, and it was ten times worse than the first one.

Finally, Tenten let out a shaky chuckle, and whispered, barely, "Well, I guess that's your response then."

Gai blinked, not sure what the kunoichi meant, nor the reason for Neji's sudden killing intent—directed to the person who considered him his eternal rival—and Lee's uncharacteristic flinch.

"Response to what, my youthful flower?" he asked carefully, trying tact for once.

Tenten turned to him and grinned impishly, but Gai noticed tears—tears!—lining up her eyes. "I told Lee I love him, before I left for Suna." The taijutsu master was amazed how casual the weapons mistress said the words, but then again, Tenten was not one to walk on eggshells anyway.

"Tenten!" Suddenly Lee was on the ground, prostrating himself. "I am so sorry! I did not intend for any of these to happen! I did not plan on kissing Sakura-san back, I swear!"

The third time silence enveloped them, Gai was certain it was thick enough to choke them all to their deaths.

And then, "Don't be silly, Lee. You can kiss whoever you want to kiss. You don't need my permission for that."

By then Lee was already scrambling up, trying to reach out for the sole female in their little group, but Tenten quickly turned her back on him. "Gai-sensei, may I be excused please? I don't think I'm well enough to endure one of your crazy trainings."

Gai nodded dumbly before Tenten disappeared in a puff of smoke, only to be followed by Neji, but not before the prodigy shot the taijutsu expert in their team one final look of utter disdain.

The final silence that stretched between the two remaining Team Gai members lasted for about ten seconds, before Lee finally burst into gut-wrenching tears.

_**End of Chapter Twenty-two**_

* * *

**Oh look, an update! Woot!**

**I really enjoyed writing this chapter, dattebayo! I hope you enjoyed reading it as well. Isn't Gai absolutely youthful?**

**I feel like I need to say something else, but I completely forget. Meh. **

**Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed and added me to their alerts and favorites. Eight chapters to go, and we're done! Please bear with me as I try to update as humanly possible, given my hectic schedule.**

**Next chapter is either Neji, Tenten, or Lee. I am not saying, tee hee.**

**Oh, and shameless plugging, my NaruHina story is up! Check Chapter Four of Rookie Roulette: "Ramen Ichiraku," for some NaruHina friendship (with a dash of romance, perhaps?)!**

**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows.**


	23. Neji 5

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty-three**_

**Neji**

"—ji . . . have . . . stop . . ."

Her words were punctuated with quiet pauses, and his only response was to press his lips closer to hers, in an attempt to savor every moment, knowing that it wouldn't last, that sooner or later, they would have to pull apart, and she would tell him it was a mistake, that it would never happen again, _never._

He felt her fingers fist against his chest, whether to push him away or pull him closer, he wasn't sure. But she was murmuring again, softly, as if she was not certain whether she was supposed to like the idea of kissing him or not.

"Neji . . . we have to . . . have to . . . stop now . . ."

"I know," he murmured back, the hand on the small of her back pressing against white fabric, willing her to draw herself closer to him, as close as their awkward position was on her small apartment's living room floor, two figures huddled together on the wooden floor, arms around each other, both of them in desperate need of air.

"Please . . . Neji . . ."

He could hear the start of panic in her voice, but he couldn't seem to stop—he was being selfish, he knew, but he had missed doing this, kissing her, ever since she had last allowed him to do it, seven, eight days ago.

"Just a little longer, please." He was not one to beg, but he was willing to do it, do anything, just to have her close to him one second longer.

A soft sigh answered his plea, and he felt her arms snake around his neck, her upper body gently pushing him so that his back was against her small couch, and automatically he pulled her on his lap, planting soft, butterfly kisses on her lips, until the demand for oxygen became too much for both of them.

Reluctantly, he finally allowed her to pull away, but kept his hands on her waist, so that she had no choice but to remain seated on his lap. Not that she showed any intention of getting off, as she carefully rested her forehead against his shoulder instead of quickly shoving him away.

A few seconds more and he felt _it—_hot liquid warmth seeping through his skin, ironically chilling his bones.

He froze for a fraction of a second, realizing that this was perhaps the first time she allowed herself to cry in front of him—probably in front of anyone—over something that did not involve physical pain. He was not sure how to react; he was never good in showing emotions, emotional support or comfort included. Awkwardly, he tried to pat her back softly, and then promptly stopped when it seemed to bring more sobs out of her throat.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered harshly against his shoulder then. "I'm so sorry, Neji. I shouldn't have done that."

His only response was to pull her lithe body closer against his.

"I'm so selfish," she continued, soft sobs coming out in bubbles. "I promised I wouldn't use you like this. I'm so sorry."

"I don't mind, you know," he whispered back quietly, because he didn't, not really, and maybe he was being a complete idiot about it too.

A couple of seconds of silence, and then, "You're setting yourself up for heartbreak, Neji."

Hearing her state the obvious was not helping at all.

Sniffing one last time, she gently pushed herself away, and this time, he let her go, and she slipped quietly on the floor beside him, one hand still fisted around his shoulder.

Minutes of silence followed, the only sounds the quiet ticking of her wall clock and her silent sniffing. Finally, she pulled her hand away from his shoulder, only to replace it with the side of her head, and he automatically sought her left hand and covered it with his palm.

"What will happen to you now?"

He knew her question had nothing to do with their complicated situation, but rather an attempt to change the topic, if only temporarily, and divert the attention to his current standing in his clan. And because he understood this, attuned as he was with her wavelength, he let her do so, if that meant that she would calm down and stop crying heartbroken tears.

"They gave me six months."

A soft chuckle, and then, "Six months to look for your own bride before they force another one on you?"

She was correct, of course, and he was again reminded of how capable they were in reading each other. "Yes," he answered, lacing his fingers with hers in the process, hoping that she would get the silent meaning between his words, his actions.

"Mmhh," came her soft hum, and then her nose was buried against the crook of his neck once again. "That's not a lot of time to look."

"I don't need to, not anymore." His voice was firm, because he was Neji, and he did not mince his words, not if he could help it, not if the situation did not demand it. "I already found her a long time ago."

He knew that she understood what he meant, and he left it up to her to give him an answer—a positive one, he hoped.

In response, she wrapped her right arm across his waist, burying her face further down his shoulder. Then a quiet murmur, "Are you proposing to me, Neji?"

Part of him was relieved that she was not one who skirted around an issue, unlike most girls who would probably act all coy and fish for more information in order to inflate their already big ego. But another part of him wanted to cower and hide at the frankness of her query.

But she asked an honest question, and an honest answer he would give her.

"Yes."

An audible sigh, and then she was pulling away, and his heart dropped to his stomach and suddenly he was the one panicking, as if the idea of Tenten being physically apart from him meant that she was rejecting him, rejecting the idea of _them._

But what was he expecting, really? Hadn't it been obvious since the beginning that she was in love with their other best friend? Was he actually hoping that since Lee was now officially dating Sakura, he had a bigger chance of making Tenten fall in love with him?

How foolish.

"You couldn't have picked a worse time, you know," she chuckled then, and he turned to look at her, torn between shaking her for taking his proposal lightly, and lunging at her to make her change her mind. He settled for a dumb stare instead.

And then her hands were on his shoulders, and she was smiling, sadly, very sadly, and he knew then that she would turn him down.

"I'm sorry, but I can't give you an answer right now."

Not what he was expecting, but definitely better than an outright rejection.

A small chuckle, and she continued, "Stop sulking, Hyuuga."

He was definitely _not_ sulking. "I was not."

Another chuckle, and then her lips were against his again, and for a fraction of a second he hoped that she suddenly changed her mind, that she was going to accept him, his love, in her life. But then she pulled away before he could even return the kiss, and her next words shook him to his innermost core that he sat there, gaping, until she finished.

"I love you, Hyuuga Neji," and his heart stopped beating for one, two seconds, "but I can't give you an answer right now. Because I love Lee more, and I need time to learn how to unlove him, so that I can love you enough to make me worthy of being your wife."

He wanted to tell her that she was wrong, that she was already worthy enough to be his everything, _everything_. But the last thing he wanted to do was scare her, push her away, so he nodded, telling her silently that he understood, that he would wait, for as long as it took for her to realize that they were perfect together, better than she and Lee could ever be.

She offered a small smile of thanks, and then promptly stood up and offered him her hand, much like she did back then when he first told her about his engagement. He took it and allowed himself to be pulled upward, and then she was grinning at him, gently pushing him out the door, telling him without words that he has to go, that she wanted to left alone.

But if she could be stubborn, then so could he. He was better at it, wasn't he?

"I'm staying," he said firmly, stopping her from pushing him further. "I won't kiss you," he promised, holding up his right hand in a mock pledge, earning a chuckle from her, "but you need someone with you right now, and I am not going to leave you alone."

The grin was replaced by a more genuine smile, and he hurried, before she burst into tears again, "Plus, we can always," and then strained at the last word, almost chickened out, so that Tenten actually lifted an eyebrow in amusement as she waited, " . . . cuddle?"

She guffawed then, so loudly, that he was not sure if he should be relieved or humiliated. Probably both.

"I am so not going to let you live this down. You know that, right?" she managed to say in the middle of giggles, but then she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, and grinned mischievously at him.

"Cuddle it is."

_**End of Chapter Twenty-three**_

* * *

**Kekekeke, Neji, you sly, cuddly dawg, you.**

**Anyway, the promised fluff, actually, probably the last one in the series, or maybe second to the last one? Hope you guys enjoyed it.**

**We're down to seven more chapters, and the next one will be a guest POV. I daresay that no one will guess this one correctly (but then I have been proven wrong before, so . . . ). **

**Anyway, a big thank you to everyone who left reviews, and I am **_**so **_**sorry I haven't replied to you all. I'll get around to it in the next century, I promise. Err, right. But seriously, I am so stoked with your feedback, especially since we're nearing 300 reviews! Gasp! You guys are amazing! **

**And to Guest, yes! I would love to see how you illustrate some sections of this series! But I don't know how to contact you, because you did not leave me your contact information! /sobs hysterically/ Please reappear and let me know how to get in touch with you, because now that you got me all excited, you **_**have **_**to draw something for this! I am **_**begging **_**right now!**

**/coughs**

**Anyway. That's me shamelessly groveling at people's feet because I suck at drawing. **

**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows. And maybe chestnuts. And maybe popcorn.**


	24. Naruto

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty-four**_

**Naruto**

Naruto watched with wary blue eyes as Lee bounced back and forth the dango stall to get Sakura her favorite anko dumplings. It was obvious that the bushy brows were ordering too much, and eventually Sakura had to grab his wrist to stop him from making another trip to the cart and buying whatever was left.

When the kyuubi vessel found out, a little less than a week ago, that Sakura and Lee were officially dating, he felt a mixture of confusion, disappointment, and maybe just a little bit of jealousy. After all, he had wooed and tried to charm the pretty kunoichi ever since their Academy years, long before bushy brows even laid eyes on her. Naruto knew he wasn't the brightest bulb in the lot, but he was pretty sure he had a bigger chance of winning Sakura's heart than their taijutsu-obsessed friend.

So what changed?

Eyes narrowing comically yet worriedly, Naruto slowly made his way to the pair, only to watch Lee spring up from the bench and bow low at Sakura, apologizing for buying too many dumplings, and as punishment, he was going to run around the village fifty times, backwards!

"Lee-san, you don't have to . . . " The pink-haired kunoichi started, left arm outstretched to stop the taijutsu expert from running off, but then Lee was gone, leaving a thick trail of dust behind, before she could even finish her sentence.

Naruto heard Sakura sigh, and his frown deepened.

"Neh, Sakura-chan," he started slowly, startling the medic-nin, who apparently hadn't noticed his presence up until that very second. "Why are you dating Lee-san?"

Sakura blinked and stared blankly at the kyuubi vessel for a few seconds, before she shook her head slowly and offered him a tired little smile.

"Naruto," she answered, sighing. "Do you think people can change?"

The blonde shinobi's eyebrows met in confusion. "Of course, dattebayo!" Because he did, and he had seen it numerous times before—in Neji, in Gaara, even in some of their former enemies like Haku and Nagato. That alone reinforced his belief that one day, Sasuke-teme would also see the error in his ways and come back to Konoha—even if he had to beat and drag him back by the scruff of his stupid shirt.

The kunoichi nodded and looked away, looking forlorn. "I want to believe it too," she whispered. "But I'm starting to lose hope."

It was then that Naruto noticed that his teammate was in tears, and he has no idea why. "Neh, Sakura-chan, why are you crying?"

Said medic-nin chuckled sadly and wiped the tears on her cheeks. "I still love Sasuke-kun, you know," she replied, before slowly turning to set emerald green eyes on Naruto's face. "But I've decided that I will try to move on. That is why I agreed to date Lee-san."

Naruto thought he should feel betrayed—both for his and his estranged best friend's sake—but he just felt _sad. _"Why not me then?" he asked quietly, although at the back of his mind he knew that he hadn't really felt _that_ way for Sakura in a long time.

It seemed that the kunoichi knew it as well. "Because you're a baka," she kidded, wiping the remnants of tears in her eyes. "You're no longer in love with me, and you don't even know it."

* * *

Sakura had left for her shift in the hospital when Lee returned from his fiftieth lap, and only Naruto waited for him on the bench. He didn't have to, but he didn't want bushy brows to think that he was abandoned by his date (although technically he was), plus there were stacks of anko dumplings there, and it would be a waste not to eat them just because Sakura chose to go on a low-carb diet, dattebayo.

"My precious Sakura-san! I have fini—"

Disappointment clouded Lee's face when he discovered that his date had left, and Naruto offered him a big smile in an attempt to make the older shinobi feel better.

After all, he really liked Lee, even when he was weird and overly enthusiastic most of the time.

"Sakura-chan had to leave for the hospital," he explained as he popped the last dumpling in his mouth. "She said to tell you she's sorry." Sakura said no such thing, but Naruto was not against telling white lies to make his friends feel better.

"Oh," Lee managed to say, obviously deflated. He flopped down beside the kyuubi vessel, sweaty and short of breath. Then, a little too forcefully, "Of course! My precious flower has responsibilities to help other people maintain their youthful vigor! She is truly the embodiment of youth and beauty!"

Naruto offered a chuckle in response. "You're really smitten with Sakura-chan, neh, neh?"

Lee nodded vigorously, pumping his fist up in the air as he spoke. "You are correct, Naruto-kun! Ever since I have first laid eyes on my precious cherry blossom that first chunnin exam, I have fallen deeply in love with her, and my love for her has only flourished over time, like the fragrance of beautiful blossoms in the spring!"

Naruto could relate well with Lee's feelings (minus the "fragrance of beautiful blossoms in the spring" bit), seeing that he had been in love with his teammate for years as well, before it slowly faded away, only to be replaced by a fondness similar to what he would feel for a sister.

"You must be very happy then," he mused out loud, before noticing that Lee had lost the sparkle in his eyes. "Lee-san? What's wrong, dattebayo?"

It was the correct—or maybe incorrect—question to ask, because then Lee suddenly burst out crying, burying his face against his right arm as he tried to stifle the tears.

"Naruto-kun! I'm afraid I have done something terrible! So terrible that not even one thousand pushups will rid of my sins!"

An emotional Lee was not something anyone wanted to see, and Naruto was no exception. But he was a kind person, albeit his mischievous nature, and he really did consider the spandex-wearing guy his friend. So he did what any decent friend would do in times of problems.

He listened.

"Naruto-kun," the bushy brows mumbled after a few seconds. "I have done something terribly, terribly bad."

Naruto was not sure what to say, so he opted to remain quiet and wait.

"I think . . . I think I'm in love with the precious flower of my team."

Naruto blinked. _Tenten?_

Dread filled the pit of the younger shinobi's stomach, and not even the chance to tease Lee and his interesting love life could wipe it away. "Kuso," he mumbled under his breath.

This was bad, bad indeed. Not only because Neji would probably jyuken the poor taijutsu master to death—Naruto wasn't as dense as to not notice how the prodigy had fallen for their weapons mistress over the past few months—but also because Sakura would pummel Lee to the ground if she found out he loved someone else when she had finally taken a chance and agreed to date him.

A few minutes of eerie silence enveloped the two shinobi before Naruto found his voice back.

"Oi bushy brows," he muttered, patting the green beast on the shoulder for moral support. Said older shinobi looked up from his arm, snot and tears dripping his face, and waited expectantly, as if Naruto held the answers to all his problems.

"Do you need help with your funeral arrangements, dattebayo?"

_**End of Chapter Twenty-four**_

* * *

**Because I don't think Naruto should pin over Sakura anymore. Seriously.**

**And this may seem like a filler chapter, but I promise this is important if I want to end this series the way I want to end it. **

**Anyway, sorry this took longer to come out. Got kinda stuck how to write the first scene, dattebayo.**

**Anyway, shameless plugging (again), two new chapters are out on **_**Rookie Roulette, one a ShinoTenJi ("His Mermaid and I") and the other a crack fic with Tenten, Ino and Sakura ("Tomato, Tomato"). Please check them out if you have the time and leave a review. It will mean the world to me.**_

_**And thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. We finally made it past the 300**__**th**__** mark! As Fruity said, THIS IS SPARTAAAAAAAAAAAAA! But seriously, I couldn't have made it without all of you. So kudos, everyone! Six chapters to go!**_

_**Oh, special huzzah to FruitySmell and AceAmi for guessing the guest POV correctly! **_

_**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows.**_


	25. Lee 5

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty-five**_

**Lee**

Lee had looked up to Gai-sensei ever since he introduced to him to power of youth during their first meeting as a genin team, many years ago. For the young shinobi who did not know anything but taijutsu techniques, Gai-sensei was his inspiration, the one he strove to become when he grew older. That was why he readily accepted his sensei's gift of a spandex suit, and copied his hairstyle (much to his unyouthful teammates' revulsion), and pretty much imitated all of Gai-sensei's moves (dynamic entry, lotus technique, even the infamous Good Guy pose).

That was also the reason why Lee decided to turn to him for much needed love advice, even when he had never actually seen his sensei on a date, or even fawn over a woman at the very least.

But surely Gai-sensei knew matters concerning love, right? After all, he had tirelessly lectured them about the wonders of springtime of youth before, and even tried to teach them about what he called "the birds and the bees" (in which Neji attempted to jyukken him, and Tenten to throw a barrage of sharp, pointy objects in his direction).

Besides, Lee did not have a biological father, let alone a biological family, to consult with, so Gai-sensei, for all intents and purposes, was his best—and probably his only—option.

* * *

"Gai-sensei, have you ever been in love before?"

He asked it simply, as he and his sensei were on their sixty-seventh lap around the village.

The older shinobi paused for half a second, as if considering his answer, before he beamed and let his teeth sparkle at his charge. "Why, of course I have! I, too, have experienced intimacy at the height of my youthful life!"

Lee's eyes sparkled with admiration, eager to hear his sensei tell another anecdote from his springtime of youth. "Really, sensei?" he asked, round eyes going rounder in excitement. "Who is she? Does she live in the village?"

Such was the change in Gai-sensei's expression that Lee, for once in his short, youthful life, truly worried that he had said something to offend his mentor. "S-sensei?"

And then the somber expression dissipated, as if it were a mere trick of the light, and Gai-sensei was beaming at him again, flashing him a Good Guy pose, and then conveniently evaded the question by asking him how his relationship with the beautiful blossom that was Haruno Sakura was going.

Lee blinked, and for once practiced tact, and answered as best as he could, even when he really, _really _wanted to know who Gai-sensei's precious flower was.

"Sakura-san is as lovely as always," Lee replied, eyes glittering from obvious affection. And then, just like his sensei a few seconds ago, his face clouded, upon recalling the reason why he asked him the question in the first place.

"Gai-sensei?" and he paused, because what he was about to say next was so unyouthful he was certain that his father figure would be disappointed in him. "What will you do when you realize that, maybe, you're in love with your best friend after all?"

The older Green Beast of Konoha stopped his silent reminiscing (his teeth was pinging left and right while Lee was still trying to form words) and turned to his student. Lee had expected him to be angry, to reprimand him for acting like that, but his sensei gave him a small smile instead, as if his question was not surprising at all.

"So you finally realized it, didn't you?"

Round eyes blinked, wondering what his sensei meant. "Finally?"

A fatherly hand on his shoulder, and Gai-sensei, minus the sparkling teeth and thumbs up, grinned, but not unkindly. "I always knew that sooner or later, you will come to terms with your feelings for our own youthful flower."

"B-but I have promised my eternal devotion to Sakura-san!" Lee all but wailed, because _that _was most certainly not what he had hoped his mentor would say. "And Tenten, Tenten is my best friend, and Neji is my eternal rival but he is my best friend too!"

Because how does one explain that admitting his feelings for Tenten would not only hurt his precious cherry blossom, but his best friends too? How could he, who strove to protect the people he cared for—was that not the reason he wanted to become stronger, better than he was yesterday?—intentionally bring pain to the very same people?

"What should I do, Gai-sensei?!"

"Lee," Gai-sensei's voice was compassionate, but firm at the same time. "You have a pure heart that cares for others. I trust that you know what you have to do." And then the thumbs-up made a re-appearance.

"Do right by them."

* * *

"Lee-san!" the pink-haired medic nin met him halfway two days later, in the bridge, a favorite spot of couples in their village. They did not really schedule a date, Sakura and him, and it was mere coincidence that the kunoichi spotted him as he trudged the quiet and lonely path back his house.

For a second Lee wanted to run the opposite direction and disappear, because he was not yet ready to face Sakura-san, even when he has decided to do the right thing, as his ever-reliable sensei had advised.

But he was a ninja, a proud shinobi of the Leaf, and he would face his challenges, even when they come in the form of pink hair and emerald-green eyes.

"Sakura-san," he greeted, noting that his tone was anything but excited. The kunoichi must have realized it too, because she immediately frowned and closed the remaining distance between them, the back of her left hand automatically finding its way against Lee's neck to check his temperature.

"Are you feeling sick, Lee-san?" she asked. "You look a little bit gloomy."

And then Lee was crying again, and quickly gripped Sakura-san's hands before she could pull away in fright. "My dear, precious cherry blossom," he sobbed. "Your concern for my well-being is most youthful indeed! I only hope that I could return your wonderful kindness, but alas, I am nothing but a fool who could do nothing right in this world!"

Sakura-san blinked, and then chuckled. "What are you talking about, Lee-san?" she asked, grinning. "If this is about not completing your laps around the village over that dumpling incident, then don't worry about it!"

Lee sniffed some more, before kneeling down—not minding Sakura-san's strangled gasp and the amused looks from other people passing by—and bowing his head low.

"I am afraid that I can no longer continue going out on dates with you, my precious blossom," he sobbed, letting go of the kunoichi's hands and prostrating himself on the ground. "It would be unfair to you, because my heart is unfaithful and thus unworthy of your affection!"

His declaration of unfaithfulness was followed by an eerie silence, and Lee feared that his beautiful Sakura-san was going to, to quote Naruto-kun, "punch the living daylights out of him and send him flying to Sunakugare."

Instead, there was a quiet sigh, and then he heard her whisper, "So you finally realized it, didn't you?"

Sakura-san echoing Gai-sensei's exact words made Lee look up—had they been hanging out without his knowledge?—and regard the kunoichi with questioning eyes. "Finally?"

The medic nin smiled, a little sadly, before shaking her head. "I knew it was a bad idea, but I had to try, at least." And then she squatted, so that they were eye level once again, and whispered, "It's okay, Lee-san. I always did know you'd choose Tenten over me."

That he did not even mention his best friend's name yet and Sakura-san had guessed it correctly confused him. Did everyone assume he was in love with Tenten all along?

Had he been in love with Tenten all along?

"B-but . . ."

The pink-haired kunoichi shook her pretty head once more, and offered a more sincere, albeit forced, grin. "Go get your girl, Lee-san. She's not going to wait for you forever." A chuckle, as if a sudden epiphany had taken place. "Don't make the same mistake I did."

And then she was gone, and Lee was left in the middle of the bridge, wondering why his heart felt so light and heavy at the same time.

_**End of Chapter Twenty-five**_

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**Random anecdote: Last week, I opened my office e-mail and noticed one new message about an upcoming project. Lo and behold, when I opened the mail, guess what the name of the sender is? TENTEN. I almost died fangirling (and then immediately wondered if the sender had panda-buns as well). Now I just need to ask her if she has a boyfriend/husband named Neji and she will certainly be my new favorite person!**

**/coughs**

**Anyway. Nothing like a Gai-Lee father-son bonding to brighten up our day, neh?**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter/s. I swear, I want to cry every time I see a new alert in my inbox. I know I haven't been faithful in sending out replies, and I'm really sorry for that. But thank you for sticking with me all the same. (Gosh, I sound so sentimental. This is so not me.)**

**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to fuel Lee's and Gai-sensei's springtime of youth (or if that's too weird, let's just stick to roasting marshmallows, like before).**


	26. Tenten 7

**Title: Scars and Stitches**

**Characters: Team Gai**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst**

**Summary: A love triangle of Gai-stronomic proportions.**

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_**Chapter Twenty-six**_

**Tenten**

She was discussing a new technique with Neji, talking animatedly, livelier than she had ever felt in days, when Lee's voice boomed just outside of the clearing, shouting out her name.

Tenten froze, her hand in mid-gesture, and she almost missed the way Neji's eyes narrowed and his overall expression went several notches colder.

Five seconds more and the bouncing taijutsu master was beside her, asking (more like yelling in her ear so loudly her first instinct was to cringe and step back lest her eardrums burst) if he could talk to her in private, _it's very important, my youthful flower, please._

Then Neji was standing between them, his right hand wrapped protectively around her left arm, and he was telling Lee, in not so many words, that he should stop acting so foolish so early in the morning.

And then, "It's okay, Neji," she managed to whisper, because she knew she needed to talk to Lee sooner or later anyway, and sooner than later was better if they wanted their team dynamics to return to its original state.

(Not that she believed things would be the same, no, because she was no longer a child who believed in happy endings.)

Neji shot her a worried look, and she offered him a small smile in response. "Really, Neji," she answered his silent question, and then carefully pried off his hand from her arm. She noticed how pale gray eyes flashed with just the smallest bit of hurt, before it was replaced by cold indifference, and Tenten slid her hand to clasp his own and gave it a gentle squeeze, as if telling him that, _hey, we're okay, right?_

Neji blinked away his apathy and offered a small, relieved smile in response.

And then, schooling her features in the most civilized manner possible, she turned to face Lee, and then motioned for him to follow her to a spot in the training field, a little out of earshot from the Hyuuga prodigy, who quietly followed their retreating forms with byakugan-deactivated eyes.

"Well," Tenten breathed out when she was sure Neji was far enough not to eavesdrop on them (not that she believed he would, he was too dignified to do that, that dumbass), "what do you want to talk about?"

"I . . ." Lee began, fidgeting uncharacteristically, and Tenten chuck it off as an aftereffect of their last, less-than-pleasant encounter. "I want to say I'm sorry."

Tenten nodded, as if she had expected that much. Not that she blamed him anyway; after all, she meant it when she said she had no say as to whoever Lee decided to kiss (or date, for that matter). She would not deny though that it hurt her, hearing from him directly that he had chosen Sakura over her, so short a time after she gave him her untimely confession. Kissing Neji after the confrontation had been a stupid thing to do, but her best friend was more than willing to tolerate her weakness, and threw in a marriage proposal to boot.

The weapons mistress sighed inwardly at how complicated her life had become ever since Neji's unexpected arranged engagement more than half a year ago. Had it really been that long?

"Tenten?"

Only then did she realize she had not replied, and to save face, she feigned a shrug and a halfhearted grin. "I told you, Lee. It's not really my business. Just because I told you I love you doesn't mean you need to love me back."

"But I do love you!"

Tenten, in any other instance, would have frozen on the spot at such declaration. But she had been in a similar situation before, and she knew that Lee was talking about the best-friend-y kind of love, rather that the romantic type.

And so she told him just that. "I know, Lee," she said, as if patronizing a kid. "You already told me that, remember? We're friends after all."

But the taijutsu expert shook his head stubbornly, and then grabbed both her hands and enclosed them in his own. "I _love _you, Tenten. And I am sorry it took me a long time before I realized it."

This time, she _did _freeze up. "W-what?"

Lee fidgeted some more, but his big, round eyes shone brightly in resolve. "I . . . I want to do right by you, Tenten. If, if you give this poor, hopeless fool a chance, I promise I will shower you with wonderful affection that only a lovely springtime blossom such as yourself truly deserves!"

His words were ridiculous as always, but Tenten felt her heart hammering wildly in her chest all the same.

She very much wanted to pound his head with a hammer as well. Or maybe a chain ball. With spikes.

"What. The. Hell," she managed to say, because she felt like her chest was caving in in pain. "What . . ."

"Tenten!" And suddenly Lee was kneeling on the ground, his hands still clutching hers, and Tenten could find no strength to pull away. "Please give this young fool a chance to show you how much I value you!"

"Stop!" she screeched, finally finding the power to pull away from Lee's grasp. "Just stop, Lee! Stop it!"

"But Tenten!"

"You think this is all just some stupid game or training with Gai-sensei?" she choked on her words, her anger bubbling out of her every pore. "You think my feelings are just a joke? That you can just waltz in here and declare your undying love for me after I finally decided to let you go? I hate you, Lee! I hate you!" She was screaming now, pointing her finger accusingly at her teammate, one of her closest friends, telling him the exact opposite of how she felt for him.

Because it hurt too much, hearing Lee saying that he loved her, when she knew for a fact that it was all a _lie. _Wasn't he in love with Sakura for the longest time? Did he take her for a fool?

"I would never toy with your feelings, Tenten!" And then Lee was up, trying to hold her, but she jumped backward, as if Lee's touch would burn her skin. "Tenten, listen to me!"

"Stop it!" the kunoichi screamed, covering her ears. "Stop lying, Lee! Stop it stop it stop—"

And then everything grew quiet, as Tenten found herself silenced by Lee's lips on hers.

For two long seconds she stood there, frozen, as Lee's hands held her face in place, his lips pressed clumsily against her own. And then she was struggling, pushing herself away, but Lee just clamped on her tighter, until Tenten found no more strength to move.

And then she was sobbing, as Lee continued to kiss her, because this was everything she had wanted, ever since she fell in love with him after the Chunnin Exams, and her heart throbbed painfully in her chest, because Lee was kissing her and damn it, she liked it very much, but there was something very wrong with it, like she was forgetting something, like there was someone else who she should be kissing instead.

_Neji._

Pale gray eyes flashed across her mind, and suddenly Tenten was pushing Lee away as roughly as she could, not caring if the taijutsu expert was looking at her in surprise and disappointment.

"N-neji," she breathed, and before Lee could even find the words to respond, a blur of white and brown hovered in her peripheral vision, and suddenly Lee was no longer standing in front of her, but thrown haphazardly ten feet away.

"N-neji!"

Byakugan eyes were activated, and Tenten felt Neji's killing aura chill her every bone. If she hadn't pegged the prodigy to be the jealous type before, she most certainly did now.

"Get your filthy hands off her, you scoundrel!"

Tenten would have laughed had the situation been different, because for a second there, Neji sounded very much like Lee. _Or Gai-sensei, _she added with a shudder.

Unfortunately, Neji noticed the tremor shoot up her body, and incorrectly assumed it was because of what Lee had done. He was beside her in a flash, anger and concern mingling in his face.

"Tenten," he whispered, lifting his hand to touch her cheek, but quickly pulled back, as if suddenly unsure where he stood with her. "Are you . . . are you okay?"

There was so much uncertainty in his eyes, in his voice, that Tenten suddenly felt very guilty for enjoying Lee's kiss. Hadn't Neji all but offered his everything to her, stood by her even when he knew she was in love with someone else? Was this how she was to repay him? Immediately retracting her decision to get over Lee just because said guy showed her a little interest, finally?

Neji did not deserve someone as horrible as she was.

"Oh Neji," she whispered, but the tears failed to fall, because she had already allowed him to see her at her most vulnerable state, and it wasn't fair to subject him to something like that again. "I'm so sorry." She reached out and gripped his hand, squeezing it in an effort to show him how much she meant her words. "I'm such a terrible, terrible person."

Neji's characteristic quiet only fueled her guilt. So much, that she barely realized that Lee was already standing in front of them once again, and that Neji had stepped in front of her, as if protecting her from an enemy attack.

Shinobi and shinobi locked eyes, until Tenten finally stepped in between them to end the silent challenge brewing between the two men.

"Stop it, you two," she whispered, almost choking on her words once more. "This is all my fault. Just stop it."

"No, my youthful blossom, it is not your fault," Lee answered, words ridiculous still, but tone of voice serious. And then, to his eternal rival, "Neji, I know you have feelings for our lovely flower, but I am telling you right now, I shall fight for her love and win her heart through hard work and dedication."

Neji, whose hand was still enclosed in Tenten's, replied, "And I will fight for her as well."

Only then did Tenten allow herself to cry once more.

_**End of Chapter Twenty-six**_

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**A little earlier than I expected to finish, and that's considering the fact that I had to redo the outline a bit (a guest POV was next in the lineup, but I couldn't figure out how to make a coherent flow in the plot using that, so I skipped right ahead to this one).**

**Apologies for the lack of humor in this chapter, but confrontation between friends are rarely something to laugh about, especially when said friends have been with you all your life, watching your back, literally and figuratively.**

**Anyway, that guest POV should work next chapter then. It's one of the POVs I moved to my waitlist, but I figured I could use it now. So hooray for more guests!**

**And again, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. Very much appreciated, especially now that it's more or less crunch time, and we're nearing the end of this saga. Hoooh!**

**Reviews will be lovely, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows.**


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